An Everlasting Love
by farelaguerra
Summary: It was supposed to be everlasting. Jesse had thought that Winnie was dead, but it was just the opposite. She drank from the spring they could be together. There was just one problem: she can't remember him.
1. Until The Day I Die

**An Everlasting Love**

Flirtation101

**Author's Note:** So, it's been a while, hasn't it? Honestly, I had forgotten all about this account until my cousin asked me if I knew what was. And then I saw my account, and remembered all of the memories. Then I read my stories, and was completely appalled by my writing. Now, I'm going to do some editing and re-write my stories. Maybe I'll even add some new ones. But I won't promise anything. So, please, understand that updates will be rare.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**--**

**Chapter One:**

Until The Day I Die

**--**

_As the years go by_

_I'll race the clock with you_

_but if you died right now_

_you know that I'd die too_

_I'd die too._

- Story of the Year

--

When Jesse Tuck was five, his father had taught him that his word was the most precious thing he could have. It was his honor, his pride. He would never forget when his father had sat him down, trying to explain to Jesse the concept of promises.

"Promises, no matter how silly they may seem, always need to be kept." Angus had said to him. "After all, if you go back on your word, no one will be able to trust you. And you don't want that, do you?"

Jesse didn't want that. He was a man of his word. Every promise that he made, he had kept. He did not lie when it came to borrowing money. In fact, if he **did** borrow any cash, he always made sure to pay the people back. And with interest.

And that was why, when Jesse promised Winnie Foster that he would come back for her, he knew he would definitely keep it. When he told her that he would love her forever, he meant it. After all, not a day went by when he didn't think of her. When he didn't dream about her. When he didn't imagine what their life would be like when they would be together again. When he heard songs on the radio and told himself that it would be their song. When he didn't think of what they would do first, of where they would go. He pictured her fitting into his family perfectly, the way that she did years ago.

They would have the perfect life together.

His parents tried to warn him that things would not be the same way again. They had said that times changed, and things would be different. That she wouldn't be the same person. But Jesse knew better. After all, this was _his_ Winnie. His perfect Winnie Foster. Things between them wouldn't be different. They would be how they used to be, enjoying and loving life.

And that night, before the Tucks had made their way back to Treegap, Jesse could not even close his eyes. He was too excited for the next day. It would be perfect, he would see Winnie after all this time, and wouldn't have a care in the world. He didn't need any sleep; he had the rest of his life to sleep.

--

Jesse was out early the next morning. He wanted to look around the town, to see if anything about it was still the same. To his surprise, most of it was. The dirt roads were paved now, and the stores had changed. But the overall feel of the town was the same.

It seemed that everyone knew each other, as they usually did in small towns. Jesse wondered what would happen if he asked anyone what had happened to the Fosters. They were a huge part of the town, someone was bound to know what had happened, even if it was all before they were even born. But Jesse knew better. Although he doubted that anyone would fine it too unusual, he still did not want to attract any attention to himself or to his family. They were there for one reason and one reason only. And that was to find Winnie.

Jesse could not wait anymore. He knew that his family all decided that they would go together, but he needed to see her now. He needed time alone with her, before his family would surround her and never leave them a moment's peace. He stepped on his motorcycle, and began to ride there; he knew how to get there with his eyes closed. He couldn't help but smile to himself, the spring was where it all began. At the same time, it was the best and the worst thing that could have ever happened him to.

He had parked his motorbike right outside of the fence of Foster's old home. It looked exactly the same, a little piece of time that never changed despite the world around it. The wood across from it had remained the same too. Nothing seemed to have grown, yet nothing had died in the wood either. He entered the wood, walking through the trees and thorns. It was exactly has he remembered it, small yet foreboding. This wood was a huge part of his life, he felt as though he was the one that knew it best.

Before he made his way to the spring, there was one stop he had to make. The house where they lived had been set on fire, there was nothing that was there for him anymore. But there was one place that meant more to him than the house that he had spent so much time in. He climbed up the old mountain, and found that it was so much easier to climb in his threadbare clothing instead of the jeans and leather jacket that he had on at the moment. But other than the clothes, he missed the climbing. He missed being outdoors, feeling as if he was actually living.

It was 'their spot'. They had only been there together once, but whenever Jesse thought about her, it was always there. He couldn't help but smile at the memories as they reached the top. It was just as beautiful as it had always been, and completely timeless. It seemed like it was only yesterday that he was there with Winnie, and they were having a great time. It couldn't have been all those years ago. But then again, time didn't pass for Jesse Tuck as it did for others. Jesse climbed down from the mountain, realizing that it was a lot easier than climbing up. But he did it, without a scratch on him. He made his way back to the heart of the wood. He knew the woods like the back of his hand. He reached the spring, and saw something that he knew was definitely not there before.

_Winifred Foster Jackson_

_Dear Wife, Dear Mother_

_1899 - 1999_

**--**

**Author's Note: **Well, please tell me what you think! I'm going to try and update something else now. Maybe my other story?Maybe like, ten reviews and I'll update this again?


	2. Caller Ten

**An Everlasting Love**

Flirtation101

**Author's Note:** It's really short I know. But I was in sort of a funk today and needed to get something out of my chest. In my opinion the story is moving a little too fast, but I don't care. If you read the original one, you'd know that it's different. I wrote it when I was like 12, and I had no clue about teenagers. Now that I'm older [almost sixteen , rereading it I thought about how stupid I was. So, I'm making Jessica act like more of a teenager and less like a seven year old in a teen's body. But seriously tell me what you think or what you would like to see. After rereading the book, I've realized how much I miss/love writing.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**--**

**Chapter Two:**

Caller Ten

**--**

_We all have a match if we can make the connection_

_so when your time comes make sure you're paying attention to it._

- Punchline.

--

Jessica Burton was excited for the night. She had been picking out outfits for hours, throwing each on the ground as she had decided that it made her look too skinny or too fat or too much like a hooker. She wanted that night to be perfect, even if she was just going to a stupid high school party. She let her long hair loose, the gentle curls flowing. She looked like a movie star, and was glad to be going out that night. Her looks were fickle: one day she looked good, and the next she did not. Today was a good day for her; everything was exactly how she wanted it to be. She smiled to herself, picking up her bag. It was filled with things she had bought yesterday. Things of the herbal variety.

Jessica wasn't a bad kid or anything, but everyone knew that she needed some amount of fun in her life. Her parents were always too uptight with her, always fearing some sort of disaster. It hadn't always been like that. Jessica had been in a car accident last year, and she couldn't really remember too much from before that. In fact, she couldn't really remember anything. But she paid no attention to it. Her parents were good to her, and were patient with her after the accident. They moved her to a new town, where they told her that she could start over.

But that didn't stop them from being overprotective when it came to their daughter. And so, Jessica had to sneak behind their backs when it came to having fun. She was seventeen and doing things any teenager had tried at her age. What was a little Smirnoff at a party? Or a little weed in an alleyway? She was just enjoying life.

After all, she wasn't going to live forever.

Making sure she had everything that she needed, Jessica told her parents that she was going to her friend's house and walked out of the door. Walking down the street she began the path to her friend's house. It was only five o'clock, but Jessica liked going their early. They would usually drink a little beforehand, then walk down to the party together. Jessica smiled to herself at how routine this was for her.

"Have you talked to Rick lately?" Cristina, her best friend, asked her.

"No, he's been ignoring me." Jessica told her. Cristina had set Jessica up with Rick one night at a party. They were both a little drunk at the time, but that didn't stop Jessica from developing certain feelings for him. It was kind of sad, because she had pretty much sworn of any kind of relationship before she met him.

"What a douche,"

Jessica nodded in agreement, but desperately found something to change the subject. "Who's going to be at this party tonight?"

And she couldn't help but groan when Cristina told her that Rick was going to be there.

--

Jesse Tuck did not move from his spot at the spring all day. He kept sitting there, staring at his words. Winnie Foster. His Winnie had chosen death rather than spending an eternity with him. He couldn't believe that this was happening. He need time to think, and be away from his family. But his time alone at the spring was doing nothing for him at all. All he could do was look at her grave. Was her body only six feet under his feet? His heart pounded at the thought. He couldn't imagine his perfect Winnie down there cold and alone. Just the thought of her like that made Jesse want to throw up.

He stood up, looking at the stone one more time. He found it so hard to believe. Winnie was gone. Mae and Tuck had always told him to keep it in his mind that she might have chose to die. But he never believed a word of it. To him, that thought had just been a bad dream. But now it wasn't. It was real.

He walked out of the wood, leaving his motorcycle where it was parked. He didn't feel well enough to drive that at the moment. He figured that he would get it in the morning and spend the rest of the evening walking. After all, he needed time to himself to think.

A half an hour of "thinking" led him nowhere. He was feeling exceptionally numb, and needed something to take his mind off of Winnie. He walked to the center of town, figuring that there had to be something that he could do. He was right, there seemed to be a party going on at someone's house. Every teen in the town seemed to be there; Jesse could easily crash without anyone noticing.

Jesse walked up to the door, and let himself in.

--

Jessica was already drunk. She hadn't had anything to eat that night, and she was already on her fifth beer. It was only eight; the night was still young. There were at least five more hours of drinking and partying left for them. But Jessica really didn't care; she was spending most of her time trying to avoid Rick, who seemed to be as intoxicated as she was. He hadn't seemed to notice that she was there yet, which was a good thing. Jessica didn't want to be noticed by him. She might have had feelings for him, but he was a complete asshole to her. She couldn't excuse that behavior no matter what happened.

Of course, one look was all it took to bring her to her knees.

And that's what he was doing now. _Oh_ crap_, he noticed me_. She could already see him walking over. She really did not want to speak with him at all. A thought had suddenly occurred to her. He wouldn't come over if she was with someone. Desperately, Jessica grabbed the first guy that she saw and pressed her lips against his.

**--**

**Author's Note****: Considering the fact that I didn't get that many last time, how about three reviews? I just want to see what you guys think. I seriously think my writing style has improved but if you could give me feedback I would seriously appreciate it. Thank you! **


	3. Remembering Sunday

**An Everlasting Love**

Flirtation101

**Author's Note:** Okay, it's a little bit longer than my last one, which is a good thing [I think. I pretty much mapped out what I want to do with this story, up to a certain chapter. And then I think I want to work on my other story because a lot of people actually like that. But if you've read my stuff from the beginning you know that I tend to forget about things. That's why I need people to remind me to update and stuff. Plus, things are kind of crazy for me right now, and I miss my boyfriend. [ But I will try to update tomorrow, seeing as it is election day and I don't have school.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**--**

**Chapter Three:**

Remembering Sunday

**--**

_Forgive_

_me I'm trying to find._

_My calling, I'm calling at night._

_I don't mean to be a bother_

_but have you seen this girl?_

_She's been running through my dreams_

_and I'm finding it crazy; it seems._

_I'm gonna ask her to marry me. _

- All Time Low

--

Jesse Tuck was never one for parties. He wasn't much of a drinker, and he wasn't into girls getting wasted and dancing on top of tables. He didn't find them attractive in any way (plus he was still hopelessly in love with Winnie). But as soon as he walked in, he felt at ease. He wasn't sure if it was the atmosphere, or the fact that the kids had been smoking so much weed that smoke relaxed him. He didn't like to smoke a lot. Although he had done it on numerous occasions (after all, he'd lived through the '70s), he'd never grown too fond of it. But Jesse didn't like parties in general.

Jesse had thought that it was a good idea to go. He thought that maybe it might have gotten his mind off of Winnie. It didn't work; every time he saw a girl, he couldn't help but think of what Winnie would have been like as a teenager. What they would be doing, at that very moment, had she been alive. He needed to get out of there. He needed to stop thinking about everything. As he had turned to leave, he felt someone grab his hand and kiss him.

It was a long kiss, and Jesse couldn't help but enjoy it. But as he pulled away, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He had just found out that Winnie had died a few hours ago, and he was already kissing other girls. Not that it could have been helped; after all, she kissed him. But still, Jesse had enjoyed it. He took a look at the girl who had kissed him. She was looking ahead of them, at someone who had been watching. Jesse turned to see who it was: a boy who looked somewhat taken aback. It looked as though he had never come in second to anyone. And that's when it hit him, the reason this girl (he still couldn't see her face) had kissed him was to make this guy jealous. Jesse couldn't help but laugh to himself.

The girl who had kissed him turned to face him, "I'm sorry."

Jesse almost collapsed where he was standing.

"Winnie Foster?"

--

"Huh?" Jessica had never heard that name before. She felt bad for kissing this random guy, who looked extremely bewildered. But she had to find a way to make Rick go away. But this guy gave her a look as if he knew her, as if he knew something about her that even she did not know.

"Winnie Foster," He repeated, smiling.

"What's a Winnie Foster?" Jessica asked.

"You don't know? Damn, I'm sorry. You look so much like her." The boy said looking downward. But he looked at her again, "No, you look **exactly** like her. What did you say your name was?"

"Jessica," She said, giving the boy a strange look.

He smiled at her, "Well hello, Jessica. I'm Jesse."

"Okay then," Although Jessica didn't really care. After all, she just needed this guy to get Rick off of her tale.

"Jessy!" Cristina called, "We've got to get out of here! The cops are coming."

Cristina grabbed Jessica's hand and pulled her away before she could apologize to Jesse again. People were darting around like crazy, trying to get out. Even the boy had ran in the opposite direction, in more of a hurry than the rest of them. Noticing something fall out of his pocket, Jessica picked it up. But before she could tell him that he dropped it, Cristina was already dragging her away. They were out of the house within seconds, doing everything that they could not to been seen by cops. But as the dodged any type of adults on the way back to Cristina's house, Jessica couldn't help but think about the strange boy that she had kissed.

Why did she always have to get the weird ones?

--

"I'm staying at Cristina's house for the night," Jessica told her mother over the phone. "I'll be home sometime tomorrow. I love you, bye."

"Well, that took long enough," Cristina laughed. It was true; her mother had given her the third degree when Jessica had called to tell her mother that she was staying over at Cristina's house. But the both of them had somewhat expected it. After all, her mother had been like that for what Jessica had imagined was her whole life. And they didn't want anything to happen to her, especially so soon after the accident.

"How long have you lived here?" Jessica asked, grabbing an Oreo from the pack that was lying on Cristina's bed.

"My whole life," Cristina replied, "Why do you ask?"

"Do you know a girl named Winnie Foster?"

Cristina had practically spit out the Oreo that was in her mouth, "What did you hear about Winnie Foster?"

"Nothing," Jessica said quickly, "Just the guy at the party said I looked a lot like her. That's all."

"Oh," Cristina said, "I wouldn't know; she lived here like forever ago."

"What do you mean?"

"My grandmother knew her as a kid," Cristina explained, "Old people in Treegrap love to talk about this; it's their own little scandal." When Jessica looked confused, Cristina continued, "When we were all kids, our grandparents would love to tell us this story. Mostly to tell us to beware of strangers. No one trusted any outsider in Treegap after Winnie was kidnapped for the first time."

"First time?"

"Yeah, but let me get to that." Cristina said, "My grandmother knew Winnie from the time they were kids. Our families were friends, I guess you could say. But the Fosters didn't really like other people that much. But they'd have my grandmother over for tea occasionally, because I guess our family at the time was somewhat wealthy. Anyway, my grandmother always said Winnie was somewhat stranger, always daydreaming. And one day, she just up and disappeared. No one knew where she was for the longest time. Then, this strange guy had said he had information on her whereabouts or whatever. A deal was made, though I'm not too sure of the details. The family kept things like that very quiet. But he led them to her. Apparently some strange family had kidnapped her or whatever. They arrested the family and all, but they somehow escaped."

"What was the family name?"

"Uhm," Cristina paused for a moment, "Tuck, I think."

"And what about the second time?"

"Well, on her seventeenth birthday, she just disappeared. No one seemed to see her again. Her parents were convinced that it was the people that did it the first time around. And I guess I could see how they might think that but my grandmother seems to think that she ran away or whatever."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, my grandma said that after the first time she was so different. And, according to my grandmother, she was practically counting down the days until she turned seventeen. She had to be planning something. Anyway, not very long ago, like maybe seven or eight years ago, her granddaughter came with a huge ass coffin. Said she had her grandmother's body and wanted to carry out her last wish being buried in the woods that her family owned. It gave the local history buffs a field day. She wouldn't answer any questions anyway, but apparently it was creepy. I was only like ten when it happened, but I remember my grandmother wanting to talk to her. She got to see her, say a few words to her. Apparently she was really nice. Said her name was Mae Jackson. Couldn't be more than seventeen. My grandmother said she looked exactly like Winnie."

"And?"

"After overseeing the burial and everything, she just packed up her bags and left. Apparently the only local she really talked to was my grandmother. But she wouldn't tell her what exactly happened to Winnie. I guess she wasn't sure herself."

"Oh," That didn't explain why the boy said that Jessica looked exactly like this Winnie girl.

Suddenly she heard a unfamiliar ringtone coming from her bag. Darting across the room, Jessica grabbed her purse and opened it. It was the boy's phone. She liked the ringtone, and the lyrics to the song were sweet and soothing. _Let's spend tonight on top of the world; we can do anything we can be anything. I'll meet you tonight on top of the world, as real as it seems you're only in my dreams._

Someone named Tuck was calling.

--

Jesse was surprised that the library was open until nine in Treegrap. But it was, and fortunately for him it was easy for him to find everything that he needed. Anything he could possibly want to know about the Fosters was right there in front of them. He read about the "kidnapping" that he had taken part in (although the town's record differed from what actually happened). And he read about Winnie's disappearance at the age of 17. He had to admit it, he was actually a little happy to hear that. There was always the possibility that she had drank from the spring. That the girl who had kissed him tonight was actually Winnie.

Of course, that didn't explain why she didn't remember him.

But that didn't matter.

Winnie could be alive.

They could be together.

**--**

**Author's Note****: Uhm, a few reviews please? I'm not going to be begging for them anymore. But I'd at least like a few. Let me know how I do. I like to think that I take criticism well. **


	4. On Top of the World

**An Everlasting Love**

Flirtation101

**Author's Note:** Thank you for all of the reviews! I was planning on updating this weekend but my great-grandmother died. I was at the wake/funeral all weekend, so I really couldn't get on the computer. But thanks for all the words of encouragement! It means a lot to me, especially now. Currently, I'm in school writing this. I have a sub in my writer's workshop class, which basically means study hall. So I'm going to see how much writing I can get done in one class.

**Disclaimer:**I don't own anything.

--

**Chapter Four: **

On Top of the World

--

_My heart is empty without you  
Sometimes you don't know what to do  
And I need you tonight  
I'll fall asleep and it's alright  
Close my eyes and I'll be by your side_

_Let's spend tonight on top of the world  
And we can do anything  
We can be anything  
I'll meet you tonight on top of the world  
As real as it seems  
You're only in my dreams_

_-_boys like girls.

--

_Jessica was in the woods, and everything seemed calm. It was perfect a perfect summer night in every way. The fabric of her white dress itched slightly, but she did not mind. She had become somewhat used to it. But other than that, she was extremely comfortable._

_There was hardly any sound. There was the song of the animals. _There playing for you_. She didn't know where that had come from, but she liked it. The voice seemed to soothe her. There was the fire, which emitted popping sounds. But other than that, the only sound had come from the breathing of the two people._

_Oh, she was not alone. She was lying next to someone, but she did not look up to see who he was. She trusted him completely, despite not knowing who he was, or anything about him. He had his arm draped around her, the white fabric of his threadbare shirt falling onto her skin._

"_I wish this moment could last forever," She said, breaking the silence between the two of them. She hadn't meant to say it aloud, it was just a thought. But the person she was with did not seem to mind. In fact, he looked down at her, with a small smile. Jessica recognized him._

"_You want to spend forever with me, Winnie?"_

Jessica Burton woke up with a start. Looking around, she noticed that the woods were gone and were replaced by the comforts of Cristina's room. The name Winnie sounded so familiar. It was what the boy at the party had called her. She shook her head, trying to shake off all of the thoughts running through her head.

"Just a dream," She whispered to herself, before turning to go back to sleep.

--

Jesse Tuck wanted nothing more to tell his parents what he saw. But he knew that they would think that he was crazy. By now, they would have gone to the spring and saw the grave marker. He reached in the pocket of his jacket, in search of his phone. He needed to tell his parents what he saw.

His phone wasn't there. Frowning, he did a double check. Nothing. He only had three numbers in the phone, but still. If anyone had found it, it would not be good. He was not supposed to draw attention to his family in any way. But if someone had their numbers, things would no go good. Even if they had no clue about the spring or his family's connection to it.

He grabbed a few quarters, and walked to the nearest payphone. Dialing Tuck's number, he called it. He would not tell his father that he lost his cell phone, but about Winnie. They all loved Winnie, and would be so happy that she was alive.

"Hello?" Tuck answered, the confusion because of a number that he did not recognize was in his voice.

"Pa!"

"Jesse, where are you?" His father asked at the sound of his voice, "Your mother is worried sick. We went to the spring and saw it. Jesse, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, pa! She's alive."

"Sorry?"

"Winnie," Jessie explained, "She's alive!"

"Jesse," Tuck sighed, "I know you want to believe that. But we saw her grave. She chose to live her life out. She chose to die."

"No! I saw her."

Jesse could hear Tuck growing impatient, "Jesse, she'd dead. We just have to accept that."

"Pa! You've got to believe me."

But he didn't. Jesse couldn't say that he blamed his father; it **was** an unbelievable story. But Jesse knew that it was true. Winnie was alive. Jesse say her with his own two eyes. Jesse said goodbye to his father, and hung up the phone. He was disheartened by the fact that his own father would not believe him, despite understanding why. He would just have to proof to everyone that she in fact was alive. He would have to show her to everyone.

It was just a matter of getting Winnie to go with him.

--

Jessica Burton never thought much about dreams. Often enough, she could not remember them. When she did, the details seemed to disappear. As if they were just fragments of a memory, pieces just lost in time. Some were slightly normal, others were completely out there. She would have dreams of herself as a teenager in the Roaring Twenties. Or as a teen in the turn of the century. Every time, it was something different.

This dream, however, was different than anything. She recalled every detail perfectly. She could feel the white cotton on her skin. She could feel his breath on her neck. It was almost a week later, and yet everything about it was as vivid as the night she actually had the dream. It was if it was some sort of memory, forever locked into her brain. Trying to shake any thought of the dream out of her head, Jessica got up to get ready. She was going out that night, a bonfire to benefit the senior class. Jessica knew it was probably going to be lame, but she needed to get out. She needed to preoccupy her mind.

Grabbing her jacket, Jessica began walking towards Cristina's house. It wasn't as cold as she thought it would be, but something told her that she would need her jacket later on. She wasn't that far from her destination when she heard the roar of a motorcycle come of from behind her. It had come awfully close to hitting her, and Jessica started screaming at it. "Watch where you're going you fucktard!"

The motorcycle stopped short, causing Jessica to panic. She shouldn't have said anything. She felt like running when the person riding the motorcycle turned around in her direction. Not taking his helmet off, he said to her, "Where you going, miss?"

"No place you'd be interested in, Mister."

Despite not being able to see his face, Jessica could tell that he was smiling.

"Need a ride?"

Jessica, despite not remembering anything from her life before the accident, knew better than to get into a car with strange men. And she knew that warning doubled when it was a motorcycle. But Jessica ignored her better judgment – she had always wanted to ride a motorbike. She walked towards him, sitting on the back of the bike.

"Treegap High School," She told him, "I'm going to the bonfire."

He undid the buckle on his helmet, "Take this. I've only gone one helmet, and your safety is more important than mine."

He took the helmet off and Jessica could finally see his face. It was the boy from the other night. It was the one from her dream. Jessica let out a small scream, "It's you!" and fell back off the bike. Landing on the ground, she quickly got up.

"I've changed my mind!" She said, practically running to Cristina's house.

--

Jesse Tuck was thankful that he had so many years to develop his wonderful skills in becoming completely invisible to the world around him. No one seemed to notice him, no matter what he did. He was able to get into the bonfire, looking like an average student at the school. He debated on trying to find Winnie, and talk to her. Deciding against it, he found his solitude on the edge of the school.

Jesse was thinking of everything that happened the past week. It seemed like a soap opera, it was completely unbelievable. He himself was beginning to have doubts. The girl might have been a grandchild of Winnies – he had no way of knowing. But that was when he heard it. "_Let's spend tonight on top of the world And we can do anything. We can be anything. I'll meet you tonight on top of the world. As real as it seems you're only in my dreams."_

_It was his phone. _

_--_

Author's Note: Sorry that it took so long. I had this in my computer for a while, it just took a bit to finish it. I started it like two weeks ago in Writer's Lab. So I'm sorry it took me so long to finish. I'm going to write some more, and then maybe there might be another update tonight._  
_


	5. Memories That Fade Like Photographs

**An Everlasting Love**

Flirtation101

**Author's Note:** So, the last chapter was really short. I actually had no idea that it was that short until I just looked at it. So I will do my best to make this one as long as possible (if I can). It was just that I was rushing to get it done with like 5 minutes left in class. So, the ending was rushed, and I'm sorry. But I just want to thank everyone for all of the reviews that you've given me. I seriously love you guys for it.

And reading back on what I had written, I know it is a little confusing. So I'm going to do my best to explain it. It is **not** Winnie's great granddaughter. If you remember what I wrote in the first chapter, she has suffered memory loss due to an accident that happened a year ago. Mae Jackson, is also Winnie, going under a different name. It's confusing, but I figured that people would have to change their names after a certain time, don't you think? I hope that clears things up a bit. If not, please don't hesitate to ask me. :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

--

**Chapter Five: **

Memories That Fade Like Photographs.

--

_There's a look in your eye and its screaming goodbye  
Now it tears me apart just to look at the sky  
And I'd hate to watch you cry  
I'd hate to watch you cry_

Your love is the barrel of a gun  
So tell me am I on the right end  
I could be nothing but a memory to you  
Don't let this memory fade away

- All Time Low

--

Jesse had thought that he lost his phone. He could have sworn that he had dropped it at the party, when he was running from the police. He checked his pockets again, frantically searching for it. To his dismay, the phone was no where to be found. But he continued to hear the ring tone.

"You won't find it in there," He heard a voice from behind him. Jesse turned around quickly to see who had been addressing him. His eyebrows rose automatically as he saw Winnie. She was so calm around him, which was exceedingly different from the way that she had acted only a few hours prior. She didn't look frightened, and she seemed to have calmed down. She held out the phone to him, "Some guy named Tuck has been calling all day."

Jesse took the phone from her and answered it, "I'll call you back in a few, Pa."

Hanging up, he stared at Winnie wide-eyed.

"Can you not look at me like that?" Winnie asked, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Oh, sorry," Jesse apologized. He hadn't wanted to make her feel uncomfortable. "You honestly don't remember me?"

"Am I supposed to?" She asked him. There was no sarcasm in her voice. Nor was there fear. There was only curiosity. To Jesse, it sounded as if she genuinely did not know who he was. Winnie would have definitely remembered me, Jesse thought to himself. This couldn't be Winnie. She would have had remembered. But Jesse had to take a shot. There was too much of a coincidence in the way that they looked.

"It might have been someone else. But you look just like her," Jesse explained, careful not to give the full story, "A long time ago."

She rolled her eyes, "So even if it was me, I wouldn't remember it anyway." She mumbled something under her breath, which Jesse could not here.

"Excuse me?" Jesse asked.

She began to look around, surveying the scene. "I don't really want to talk about this here. Maybe we can go somewhere that isn't as dark and creepy?"

Jesse smiled; he knew just the place.

--

Jessica knew never to talk to strangers. After her accident, that was the one thing that her parents told her. They drilled it in her brain, as if she might let something slip. Jessica couldn't imagine what her mother and father would have to hide, but it didn't matter. Jessica never bothered to stop and talk to people that she didn't know on the street. Which was why, when she began pour her whole life story (or what she could remember) to this guy, she was surprised. There was something about him. It might have been the way that he looked at her, or the way that he smiled when she talked. Or it could have been his incredibly good looks. But no matter what it was, something about him made Jessica spill her guts.

He had taken her to the woods. Had it been anyone else, she would have screamed and kicked. But there was an odd familiarity about him. The whole situation seemed familiar. The woods were a famous part of town. Everyone was always talking about going in them, but no one ever did. There was something eerie about the woods, as if it held the secrets of a hundred lifetimes. They had always held some sort of mystery to Jessica, but she didn't dare go inside them. Looking at the amount of trees, she knew that she would get lost.

He led her to a mountain of rocks. "Follow me."

"You can't be serious," Jessica said, "We are **not** climbing up that thing."

"Oh yes we are," He said, smiling.

"You are crazy, you know that?"

"You don't have to come with me, you know." He said, beginning to climb. "You can stay down there if you want. I don't know when I'll be back though. You might have to wait down there for me all night."

Jessica didn't know what made her do it, but she followed him.

"What's your name?" She said. She remembered asking him once, but she had forgotten it.

"Jesse," He said, smiling, "I don't recall ever getting your name."

"Jessica," She said, heaving from the exercise of the climb. "How old are you?"

"What is this? 20 Questions?" He said, laughing at his own joke.

"Seriously."

"You really want to know?" He said amusement evident in his voice. Jessica began to nod, but realized that Jesse could not see her from where he was.

"Yes."

"Two-hundred and twelve." He said, his tone completely serious. Jessica let out a deep breath, she had really wanted to know his age. She didn't want him making a joke at a time like this.

"I'm serious."

He laughed at her again, "Let's just call it seventeen."

They had reached the top, and Jesse had helped Jessica to stand when she got her feet on firm ground. She looked at the view from the top and smiled. It was beautiful. Yet, Jessica couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen it somewhere before. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah, it is." He said, standing next to her. "So, you never told me why you couldn't remember anyway."

Jessica could tell that he had been dying to ask her this question, and she saw no point in making him wait for an answer. "Well, I'm not really sure of all the details. It happened almost a year ago."

When Jesse met her with a curious look, she continued, "Well, I was walking home, I guess. I can't really remember this part, but I'm going from what my parents tell me. I was coming home late from a party, and there was a drunk driver in the road. He hit me, and apparently I rolled over the car. I hit my head really badly. All I can really remember is my parents in the hospital with me, telling me that I had been in an accident. I didn't even know who they were. The doctor said to me that memory loss can be caused by traumatic experiences."

When Jessica had finished telling her story, Jesse looked at her in slight awe. "So you're telling me that you can't remember anything?"

"Not a thing."

"So then how do you know that your parents are who they say they are?"

"What?"

"Like, how do you know that your parents are really your parents?"

"Who would lie about something like that?" Jessica asked, getting defensive. He was talking about her parents, after all. She couldn't help but feel the anger bubbling inside her. How dare he say something like that? He had barely talked to her before that night, and now he was making judgments on her parents?

"It was just a suggestion," Jesse said, putting his hands up in surrender.

But Jessica didn't want to hear it. "It was nice meeting you, Jesse. And I'm glad you've got your phone back. But I'm going to go now." She stood up, and began walking away from Jesse.

--

Jesse Tuck watched as she was walking away. The way she moved was exactly like Winnie in every way. He wasn't completely sure if she was Winnie or not. Based on what she had told him, Jesse certainly knew that there was good chance that it might be her. He couldn't let her walk out on him, not when he had come so close to being with her. He would just have to go with his instincts.

He ran up behind her and caught a hold of her arms, "I made a promise to you once, Winnie Foster. I told you that I was never going to let you go. And I intend to keep that promise."

Before she could open her mouth to speak, Jesse placed his lips against hers.

--

**Author's Note: **Okay, so I know that it is really really corny. And it's shorter than I wanted it to be, but I'm happy that I got it out there. Hopefully, after this chapter, everything will start to flow a lot easier. Thank you for reading, and thank you again for all the support!


	6. As Lovers Go

**An Everlasting Love**

Flirtation101

**Author's Note:** I had a dream that I updated this the other night, so I guess this is motivating me. But I also thought that I'd leave you guys with a little birthday treat. [I'm 16 today! Haha, yes I'm excited too. Well, again, I'm sorry if it is short. I just don't have as much time I thought I would to update this anymore. But I'll keep doing my best. And I again want to thank you for all your support. Especially those of you that read this when it was originally published [which I think was around 2004? which was like four years ago or whatever. And I hope that you all continue to review. Your thoughts and opinions really mean a lot to me!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

--

**Chapter Six: **

As Lovers Go

--

_  
This is easy as lovers go  
So don't complicate it by hesitating  
And this is wonderful as loving goes  
This is tailor made what's the sense in waiting?_

And I said "I've gotta be honest,  
I've been waiting for you all my life.  
For so long I thought I was asylum bound,  
But just seeing you makes me think twice."

"If being with you here makes me sane  
I fear I'll go crazy if you leave my side  
You've got wits, you've got looks, you've got passion  
But are you brave enough to leave with me tonight?"

- Dashboard Confessional

--

Jesse was holding Jessica tight, as if she might slip away from him at any moment. She fidgeted in his arms, but his hold would not budge. She tried to pull away, and finally succeeded in doing so. "What are you doing?" She asked when she was finally free of him. A look of alarm flashed on his face. Jessica could tell that he wasn't sure what he was thinking. So Jessica did the answering for him, "You had a little too much to drink back at the bonfire, didn't you?"

Jesse shook his head, still not saying a word. Jessica wasn't surprised; he did not seem like the type of guy that would get wasted regularly. On special occasions maybe. But the look in his eyes did all the explaining for her; he did not have to say a word. He was completely sober, as if he was planning this for a reason.

Jessica continued to ramble on, "First you accuse my parents of lying to me. And than you try to make a move on me. Sorry, but that is not the way to get into a girls pants, dude."

"Winnie, I-"

"My name isn't Winnie. It's Jessica." Jessica said, folding her arms over her chest, "Jess – ick- uh. Not Winnie."

"I'm sorry. I just got a little carried away," He apologized, "I don't know what's come over me." His head was down, looking somewhat ashamed of himself. Jessica couldn't help but notice that he actually seemed sad. Not disappointed that he wouldn't get any that night, like most of the guys that she knew. He looked genuinely upset with himself. But Jessica wasn't about to let him off the hook that easily.

"Why do you keep calling me that anyway?"

"It was a girl I used to know," He said, a dreamy looks evident in his eyes, "A very long time ago."

"That's funny," Jessica replied, "A Winnie Foster died a long time ago. There's a local legend about someone named Winnie Foster. Do you know it?"

Jessica couldn't help but notice the smile that seemed to form on his face, "Vaguely."

"Well, you might not know this. Like, seven years ago or something, some girl came to town. She said that she was Winnie's granddaughter or whatever. Well, they had a coffin and everything. Later, she was buried in the woods by her house. I think her granddaughter talked to maybe one person while she was here. She was really quiet about the whole thing. Well, I would be too if my grandmother had just died. But anyway, she never answered any questions about what exactly happened to her grandmother. But she looked exactly like her. At least, that's what I heard."

Jesse gave Jessica a blank stare, so Jessica quickly added, "But that can't be the person you're talking about. She had to be like, 100 when she died. And you don't seem like the kind of guy that is into the sort of thing." Jessica's attempt at silence was only matched by the sound of the wind and the cricket's song in the distance.

Jesse was silent for a few minutes. To Jessica it looked as if he was debating something. As if to let her in on some big dark secret that he had. After a while, he looked a Jessica and said, "Do you want to know the real story?"

"What real story?"

"The story of what really happened to Winnie Foster." Jesse said with a smile on his face.

"How would you know what really happened?" Jessica countered, putting her hands on her hips. She couldn't believe that she was still here. Still talking to this boy. The boy who had accused her parents of lying to her about what she had been. The boy who had made a move on her, not letting her go. He seemed to get stranger and stranger by the minute. But yet, there were so many mysteries surrounding him. She was intrigued and Jessica couldn't help but want to know as much as she could about him.

"I have my ways," He said, leading her to his motorcycle. "But I need my parents to help explain it."

"Why?" Jessica said, jokingly, "Were they the ones that kidnapped her?"

And she could have sworn that she heard Jesse say "Something like that" over the roar of the motorcycle. Shaking it off, she grabbed Jesse's waist and held on for dear life.

--

Jesse Tuck and wanted to explain it all to her right there. Maybe then, she would remember who she was and where she belonged. But so far, there was no such luck. To him, she seemed to be completely unlike the Winnie that he knew all those years ago. Yet, she was still the same. He needed his parents help. And, he wasn't allowed to tell people about the spring, and he needed to get his parents approval. And he had to start all over with Winnie, just like the first time.

Jesse smiled at the memories. Everything was perfect back the first time around. He wished that things were like the way they were at that time. Everything was slower paced. Even the Tucks, who before acted as if they had all the time in the world, were constantly rushing around. They did their best to find work, and to live like they were as normal as possible.

It didn't go according to plan.

They had come back to Treegap with one intention only. To find Winnie. Jesse was shocked that his parents had stayed this long. He could only imagine that it was because he hadn't been home the entire time that they had come back. Jesse didn't care though, he was coming back now. And he would have her there with him. He could prove to his father that he was not just sick with grief.

They arrived at a broken down motel on the very outskirts of town. It wasn't the greatest place on earth, but it was one of the only places that allowed them to pay in cash. He could sense a look of disproval on Winnie's face, even though she still sat with her arms around his on the back of his bike. "It's not much," He felt obligated to explain, "But we won't be here for very long."

"You're not from around here?" Jesse could hear the shock in her voice, "I thought that you were."

Jesse shook his head. "Nope, just passing though."

"Then how do you know about the kidnapping? I'm pretty sure that it didn't make any national papers." She said to him, and Jesse could feel her body tense up. She was growing afraid of him, of what his family might be. Jesse saw her shiver a little, and whether it was from him or the cold wind, he did not know. He quickly put his own jacket around her, making sure that she was alright. He had always wanted to do this with Winnie. He wanted to be like other couples. He wanted them to go on dates and to be all romantic. He smiled to himself; he was finally getting that chance.

"It's a little strange," He replied, "But I'll have to have my parents explain it to you. They'll do a much better job."

"Okay," She said, slightly hesitant to get off the bike. Jesse felt sorry for her. She must have been so confused at that moment. He had wanted nothing to do then to hold her, and to never let her go. But, as hard as it was, he stopped himself. After all, the last time that he had tried to do so, it had ended badly. She followed him into the motel where they were staying.

She looked around, trying to find any traces of what would have been illegal substances. _She thinks we're criminals,_ he said, thinking back to a time when Winnie had thought that the Tucks were criminals before. When she did not find any, she turned to him. "Where are your parents?"

Jesse looked around, finally aware that the rest of the Tuck family was not there. He shrugged, "They must have stepped out a while ago. But they should be back soon." Winnie bit her bottom lip, as if she was completely unsure about something. Jesse asked, "What's wrong?"

"My parents aren't going to find me at the bottom of the river somewhere, are they?" Jesse couldn't help but smile at his. She thought that he was kidnapping her. She thought that he would actually harm her. Jesse shook his head, telling her that she had nothing to worry about. He could tell that she would not stop worrying though. She refused to sit down, and would not let him offer her anything to eat or to drink. If Jesse didn't know any better, he would find the lack of faith that she had in him quite alarming.

He was about to say something to her about it when he heard the knob on the door turn. It opened, and there stood his mother, grocery bag in hand. He smiled at her, offering to take some of the groceries. She looked at him, not even bothering to look to the corner where Winnie was standing. "Oh, Jesse." She said, touching her son's cheek, "I'm so sorry to hear about Winnie. I know how much you loved her. But know that she lived out her life fully. One hundred years is a good, long life."

Out of the corned of his eye, Jesse saw a confused look appear on Winnie's face. It still came as a shock to him that he didn't remember. But as he hugged his mother, he was thankful. Thankful for the fact that his parents cared so much about him. Thankful that he had been able to meet Winnie. But above all, thankful that she was alive.

Looking from his mother to Winnie, he saw two more figures enter the doorway. Both of them immediately looked at Jesse, without even thinking that there would be someone else in the room. Both said that they were sorry about Winnie, offering him pats on the back and any comfort that they could give. Miles looked at his brother, "Winnie knew it was better to die than to live forever."

Jesse released his family, and took a deep breath. This was it; he was going to tell his family that Winnie was in fact, alive. "Actually guys, I have something that I'd like to tell yo-."

He never got to finish his sentence, because Winnie had interrupted, "Can someone please tell me what is going on here?"

--

**Author's Note:** Well, that's it for now. Sorry that it's not as long as I hoped it would be. But I have others things to do and very little time to do it. So, please, tell me what you think. Tell me where you want to see it go, because I'm running out of ideas.


	7. The Secret's In The Telling

**An Everlasting Love**

Flirtation101

**Author's Note:** I love activity days in school. Yesterday, we had one and I totally just ended up watching Superbad on my friend's Zune. Today, I'm totally writing this. And thank you for all the reviews that you guys gave me! I love you all, and thank you for telling me what you guys would like to see. I'm going to try and incorporate it as much as I can into the plot. I'm sorry, but she can't get her memory back **this** soon, otherwise the story would just be over. But thanks so much for your imput! If this is short, it's because I only have like 40 minutes to write this baby. Oh! And this chapter is in honor of my pink hair. I got it dyed yesterday. So, please, pray that there is no snow day tomorrow!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

--

**Chapter Seven: **

The Secret's In The Telling

_There is a secret that we keep  
I won't sleep if you won't sleep  
Because tonight may be the last chance we'll be given  
We are compelled to do what we must do  
We are compelled to do what we have been forbidden  
Until the last trace and this hope  
Is frozen deep inside my bones  
And this broken fate has claimed me  
And my memories for its own  
Your name is pounding through my veins  
Can't you hear how it is sung?  
And I can taste you in my mouth  
Before the words escape my lungs  
And I'll whisper only once..._

**- Dashboard Confessional**

--

At the exact same time, everyone in the room had turned to look at Jessica. All eyes had widened at her, as if they had seen a ghost. She looked towards each face waiting for her answer. When she did not receive one, she asked again, "Can someone _please_ tell me what's going on? I'd really like to know."

The first one to say something was the oldest man in the room, "Jesse was right. She is alive."

Jessica became even more confused at that, "Who's alive? Can someone just give me a general sense of what you people are talking about?" The look on their face now matched the one on Jessica's. It was a look of confusion.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jesse look from her to his parents. "She doesn't remember," He explained, "There was an accident of some kind." His parents looked at her again.

"Then how can we be sure that it is her?" The same man from before asked his son.

"I'd know Winnie anywhere," The only other female in the room said, looking at Jessica with a mother's eyes, "And this is definitely her, Angus." She walked over to Jessica and wrapped her arms around her. Jessica felt uncomfortable in this strange woman's arms. But Jessica did like the warmth, the feeling of love, that this woman seemed to give off.

"What are we going to do, Pa?" The other person in the room asked, "How do we know that we can trust her?"

"We trusted her then," Jesse said, defensively, "She's not going to tell anyone again. It's in her best interest to keep the secret too now."

"If she doesn't remember that," He countered, "Then she might not remember that part, Jesse."

"She's still the same girl," Jesse said, and Jessica could tell that he could only hope that it was true. She continued to remain silence, completely out of the loop.

"Time might have changed her. You don't know what she's like now. We've only been here a week or so." He said. Jessica was sure that she didn't trust her, although she didn't know what they couldn't trust her with. She felt as if she should know, and a strange feeling of déjà vu washed over her as she watched the scene before her.

"We cannot tell her just yet," Angus said, booming over the rest. His two sons instantly quieted down; their father's word was law. Jesse looked as if wanted to protest, but did not.

"Winnie will you sit? We don't have very much, but we can make you something nice to eat." The lady said to her. She began searching through the massive amounts of grocery bags that were

"My name is Jessica." The phrase had seemed to become almost automatic now. Ever since people had started to call her Winnie, it had almost become a second nature to her, "Jessica Burton."

"Well, Miss Burton," The lady corrected herself, "Would you like to have something to eat. We have pizza bagels."

"No thank you," Jessica declined, "I'm not very hungry." It was a lie; Jessica was ravenous. But she would not take food from these strangers, despite the fact that they seemed as loving and caring as any people.

She looked around, trying to soak up everything. They had carried on conversations as if nothing had happened. She learned their names, Angus, Mae, and Miles. They were nice, and seemed to accept her as one of them.

"Can you tell us the first thing that you remember?"

"I don't really know," Jessica explained, "I remember waking up in the hospital, with my parents over my bed. They told me what had happened."

"What did they say?"

Jessica felt as if she was being interrogated. As if she had done something terribly wrong. "They said – they said that I had gotten hit by a car. When I was walking home from some sort of party." Jessica felt as if she couldn't answer the questions. She hated being put on the spot. It made her uncomfortable. She shifted in her seats as the family whispered to each other.

"Should we tell her?" She heard Jesse say to his father.

"No!" Miles objected, "How can we be sure she won't tell anyone?"

"Tell anyone what?" Jessica asked. "I promise I won't tell. You don't even have to tell me. And I'll keep this little meeting between us, I swear. But I really should get going."

Jessica started towards the door, rushing to get out. But Jesse's brother, Miles, was blocking her exit. "I'm sorry," He said, "We can't let you go."

"Why not?" Jessica said, completely aware of the panic in her voice.

"We'll let you go soon." Mae said, giving Jessica a pitying look, "It will just take some time."

"My parents will come looking for me," Jessica threatened, "They'll call the police."

Miles gave her a sadistic smile, "We've dealt with the police before. We're not scared of them. They'll be more scared of us." He looked as if he was recalling a fond memory.

Jessica's breathing became short, "You – you have to let me go." She felt herself starting to become dizzier and dizzier. The world was spinning around her, suddenly moving faster and faster. Jessica closed her eyes, trying to make the panic stop. She tried to steady her breathing, but everything was closing in on her.

"Is she okay?" She heard someone in the room say. Jessica could not make out who it was, she was too busy trying to clear her head.

"I think we should call an ambulance," Another voice said.

"No! No police! We can't have them on our tail."

That's when everything blacked out.

--

Winnie had hit the floor with a loud thud. Jesse rushed to her side, kneeling over her. "We need to give her air," Mae said, "Open the window, Miles." Miles did as his mother told him, and Jesse was still at Winnie's side, holding her hand.

"What happened to her, Ma?" He asked, moving Winnie's hair out of her face.

Mae looked down at Winnie, "I'm not sure, Jesse. I think she'll be okay though. It might have been a panic attack. But her breathing is steady now."

"She's unconscious, Ma!" Jesse yelled, "How is she going to be okay?"

"We need to give her time to wake up. She'll be okay as soon as she does that." Jesse nodded at his mother's answer. Gently, he picked her up and brought her over to his bed. Jesse pulled up a seat next to the bed and sat in it. He kept an eye on her for the longest time, making sure that nothing was wrong. He never took his gaze off of her, off of his Winnie, until his eyes could no longer keep themselves open…

--

Jessica's eyes opened suddenly, as if a loud noise had woken her up from a deep sleep. Sitting up in the bed, she remembered what had happened. Looking to her left, she saw Jesse asleep in a chair. He looked uncomfortable, and Jessica couldn't help but feel bad for him.

But the thought was out of her mind before it was even completely in there. They weren't going to let her leave. She had to remind herself of that. And now, she had to get home. After all, she had people who would come looking for her if she was gone too long. These _kidnappers_ wouldn't miss her too much.

Jessica grabbed her shoes, which had been taken off and laid neatly beside the bed. Putting them on, she saw a small music box on the dresser. It seemed timeless, rusting in certain spots. Winding it up, a small tune was emitted from the silver box.

Jessica dropped it almost instantly.

_She knew that song._

The song must have made a noise, and she heard rustling from the chair. Turning to see if Jesse was up, she was relieved to find that he had just turned in the chair. Letting out a breath of relief, Jessica slowly walked to the door. She carefully turned her hand on the knob. For a moment, she felt some regret. _They were nice to you. They were kind people. _Jessica shook the thoughts out of her head. After all, they were as good as kidnapping her.

Jessica opened the door and walked outside. She was going home, and going to forget that she had ever me the Tucks.

--

**Author's Note: **I have midterms coming up (Friday January 18th, and Tuesday January 22nd. I don't think I will be able to update until then. I'll have five days off after that, so you may see some updates then. And I have an outline for a research paper for US History, a Jane Eyre essay, extra credit, AND my sweet 16 plans. Thanks for being so understanding!


	8. Baby Britian

**An Everlasting Love**

Flirtation101

**Author's Note:** So, my sweet sixteen was on Friday. I was so happy, it was so much fun. Haha, my e was looking mighty fine, too. ; but anyways, I am going to try to update more often. I actually have a lot written in this little notebook that I have in school. And I have outlines of future chapters [I get bored during Chem class, BUT I still have a lot of tests to study for and school is and always will be my first priority. Anyways, I got this new iPod shuffle and it's so cute and small! I'm obsessed with that. And the Hello Kitty coloring books my friend Eric got me. And I was watching **Life is Beautiful** [La Vita E Bella for all you Italian folk. And that movie always makes me cry. But this is the first time I watched it in the English version. If you watch it, I recommend watching it in the original Italian with subtitles. [/rant

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

--

**Chapter Eight: **

Baby Britian

_We knocked another couple back  
The dead soldiers lined up on the table  
Still prepared for an attack  
They didn't know they'd been disabled  
Felt a wave, a rush of blood  
You won't be happy until the bottle's broken  
And you're out swimming in the flood  
You kept back, you kept unspoken  
For someone half as smart you'd be a work of art  
You put yourself apart  
And I can't help until you start_

**- Elliot Smith**

--

Jesse Tuck did not often dream, but when he did, it was of Winnie. He did not know why, but she always found a way into his head. Well, Jesse did know why. She had some strange hold over him, even if she did not know it. Jesse Tuck was in love with her. Ever since he had met her, he knew that he did. And in his 200 years of living, he never felt that way for anyone else. Despite the talks from Miles that Jesse might find someone else, he loved Winnie Foster. Now, if only she would love him back. Which was why, when Jesse woke up to find Winnie missing, he was not surprised. But that did not mean he was not terrified. She might have gotten hurt trying to get home. Or she might have run into some creep on the street.

"She might go to the cops," was the only thing that Tuck had said, "We can't stay here." Jesse frowned; that was all his father seemed to care about at the moment. It was protect themselves, not anyone else. Jesse knew that Tuck cared about Winnie, but to him, something else was more important. But Jesse did not care if he was found. All he cared about was if Winnie was alright. She must have been so scared, waking up in a strange bed. He should have been awake. He should have been there to explain everything to her.

And so they packed. Everything that they had went back into the suitcase, just like all of the times before.

"We're not going to leave Treegap, are we Pa?" Miles said. Jesse could tell that he did not want to leave Winnie either now that he knew she was alive. They were a family. They helped each other. And right now, Jesse needed all the support that he could get.

"No, we won't leave." Came Tuck's reply, "But we have to cover our tracks." And so they did. Living like they had all those times before, living out of a tiny station wagon. And Jesse lived off of whatever her could carry on his bike.

"But as soon as we get Winnie to remember, we have to leave." His father said. All of them nodded in reply.

Jesse smiled. Then they would finally get their happily ever after.

--

Jessica was so happy to finally be home. The walk from the motel was longer than she had anticipated. But she was so happy to be in the comfort of her own home. In the twelve hours she was gone, she felt as if she had been away from home for days. She missed her room. She missed her sheets. She missed the way that her pillow smelt. It felt good to be home.

The house was quiet. Her parents had not waited up for her; they had assumed she was staying over Cristina's house, like she would do all of the time over the weekend. Not wanting to wake them up, she quietly slipped into her room and turned on the light. Quickly changing into sweats, she went under the blanked and welcome the much needed sleep.

_It was summer again. Her birthday was coming soon. She'd be seventeen. She could hardly contain herself. The anticipation was almost killing her. She'd see him again. She'd get to have him hold her. She still was not sure if she would drink from the spring. If she would live forever. But she still had time to figure that out. Right now, the only thing on her mind was Jesse._

_"Winifred, may I talk to you for a moment?" She turned to see an aging lady before her._

_"Yes, mother."_

_"You seem distant lately. You're not the same girl you used to be. Is something bothering you?" She was shocked to see so much concern on her mothers face. Her mother went through the motions of being a mother. But she never actually played the part._

_She shook her heat. She could not tell her mother what was going through her head, not matter how much she would miss her if or when she left._

_"Winifred, you're hiding something." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. She opened her mouth to protest, but her mother continued, "Ever since you went off with those people, you haven't been the same."_

_"Those people have a name, Mother." She said, defensively. "The Tucks were kind to me. They love me."_

_"They kidnapped you, Winifred!" Her mother's face was turning red, "Kidnappers do not love!"_

_"They love me more than you do." She knew the words had hurt her mother. But it was true. Mae Tuck had been a better mother than her real mother had ever been._

_"Come back to me when you start to make more sense, Winifred." Her mother said coolly, before leaving. _

_It was in that moment, as she watched her mother walk back into the house, she made up her mind. Tomorrow, on her seventeenth birthday, she would drink from the spring. She would spend forever with Jesse Tuck. _

--

Jessica had to get out of her house. She could not help but laugh at the irony; last night she was desperate to bet back home. Now she didn't want anything but to get out. But now, she needed to get all thoughts of that dream out of her mind. And while she was sitting at home, the thoughts kept creeping into her mind.

"Mom, I'm going out." She called to her mother, "Do you need anything?"

"Milk," Came Jessica's mother's reply.

"Got it," Jessica might as well make herself useful while she was out.

Jessica walked to DiCicco's, the local grocery store. It was a friendly place, and everyone from Jessica's school either worked or shopped their. As she went into the store, the familiar smell of fresh fruits and vegetables enveloped her. She loved it; it reminded her of better days, Dancing in front of a small cottage, looking out towards a forbidden wood. It was like a memory that had never happened, for it seemed to happen very long ago. No. That had never happened to her. She couldn't remember anything before the accident. It wasn't her, it had to be something from a movie she saw. Or a book that she had read.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Jessica saw, in the corned of her eyes, a boy in an ostentatious yellow sweatshirt, walking in her general direction. Recognizing him almost immediately, she felt herself getting excited. She wasn't sure why, but she was actually looking forward to seeing him. Shocked and disgusted with herself. Jessica mumbled, "You have got to be kidding me."

"Jessica Burton," He had come up to her smiling; "What a lovely surprise."

"Rick," Jessica said, trying to smile. He looked better than ever, the yellow that he was wearing made his skin look a shade darker. And his brown hair was falling seductively over his face. And as soon as he said her name, Jessica completely forgot why she was mad at him in the first place.

"Where is your boyfriend?" He asked, swishing his hair to one side. Jessica's heart gave a little flutter when he did that. It took Jessica a moment to register what he had said to her.

"What boyfriend?"

"You know," H said, giving her the classic Rick stare, "The one I saw you swapping spit with at the party."

"He's not my boyfriend," Jessica said defensively, "I don't even want to think about him again."

"Why not?"

Jessica did not know why, but she found herself telling Rick the entire story. She told him about meeting the Tucks, how she met Jesse (leaving out the part **why **she had kissed him in the first place). She told Rick about Winnie's story. And that the Tucks thought Jessica was her. Jessica told him about the motel and sneaking out. He nodded as she spoke, and Jessica could tell that he was honestly interested in what she had to say. It was nice, and so unlike the Rick that she had known before. He seemed different now; he had matured since they had last spent time together.

Jessica's mind drifted to that time. It had been the end of October, and the days they had spent together were magical. And Jessica had spent hours thinking about him when they were not together. But when November hit, things had changed. He began to pull away, slowly at first. Jessica had asked him about it. He responded with cruel works, causing Cristina to christen him Jackass. As Jessica thought back on it, she realized she should probably still be pissed as hell at him. But as soon as Jessica tried to be angry, she could not.

There was something familiar about him, from even before she had spent that month with him, which gave her a sense of warning. But she could not help but ignore that gut instinct. Instead, they dropped off the milk at her house and went out for a walk.

--

Rick wanted nothing more than to hear more about Jessica's story. The family name sounded so familiar. He wanted nothing more than to remember what had been said about that family. About the Tucks. He had heard something when he was a child.

Prompting Jessica to talk more and more about her experiences with the strange family, he listened to ever word and took in every detail. He loved this. He loved the feeling that he got hearing the name. The exhilaration. He had heard it before, and knew that when he was done with Jessica, he would have to call his grandmother. She knew the story the best, as she was the oldest in the family.

And Rick wanted to get to the bottom of it, to find out what was so special about this family. To find out what exactly they were hiding, for he could not remember what he had been told before. But Rick knew one thing. That Jessica Burton was the key to the Tucks. And he would have to get her to trust him in any way possible.

It was sure going to be easy. Jessica was like putty in his hands. She always had been and always would be. It would take nothing more than a simple kiss on the cheek or whispering some bullshit words to get her to lead him to the Tucks. And, he would get what he wanted and leave her as soon as he had gotten it.

Just like the last time.


	9. When Did Your Heart Go Missing?

**An Everlasting Love**

Flirtation101

**Author's Note:** This, although I might not get to posting it the night that it was written, is in celebration of the celebration of the Giants winning their game against the Packers, and going to the Superbowl. But we all know that they'll never be able to win against the Patriots, no matter how much I want them to. So yes. And I finally got a new laptop, which means I'll be able to write more and more. Although, this thing has a webcam, and lord knows that I can easily get addicted to stickam. Uhm, my last midterm is on the 22nd, and right now I should be studying. But part of me doesn't want to. Plus, I read the three [so far reviews, and they all seemed to like the last chapter a lot. So I hope that they get what they want in this chapter. I have pretty much everything planned out for now. Up until chapter eleven at least. Haha, so yeah. On with the story.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

--

**Chapter Nine**:

When Did Your Heart Go Missing?

_When did your heart go missing?  
Things were so good, we had a little dream  
A little dream together  
Buy a house, settle down, do our thing  
But you disappeared on me  
And your heart, your heart went missin'  
I don't know how to find it  
I don't know where it is  
I don't know where your heart went_

-Rooney.

--

Jessica smiled as she lay in bed the next morning. It was like everything she had experienced was just a bad dream. Everything except Rick, who was able to wake her from the nightmare. And return her safe to her own home, where nothing was wrong. He let her talk about it, always listening. And while she was telling him everything, she came to her senses. They were all crazy, and because of that, Jessica was beginning to believe them. Still, the Tucks had made her curious. And what Jesse had said to her their first night together had been stuck on the back of her mind. Her parents had never had any pictures of her from her childhood. While other friends proudly showed off their pictures from their earlier years on their computer or blog sites, Jessica could not find any. She wanted to hit herself in that moment. She was actually convincing herself that her parents might have been lying to her. She was half disgusted with herself. They were her parents; of course they would never lie to her. But she could not get the thought out of her mind. But instead of jumping to conclusions, Jessica climbed out of bed and walked down to the kitchen, where both of her parents were sitting.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Her mother asked as soon as Jessica came down. She had a look of concern on her face, "You look a little flushed. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine," Jessica said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. She did not know why she dank it; the stuff tasted vile. But she downed her entire cup, and began to pour herself another cup. The caffeine was what she needed at a time like that. After all, she needed a lot of energy. She was going to meet Rick in a few hours, and she was still exhausted from hanging out with him the night before. Her parents watched in amazement.

"I don't know how you could do that," Her father noted, putting his arms around Jessica. He hugged her tightly, as if thankful that she was there and not lying dead on a road somewhere. He held her like a father would, not like some stranger. Some liar or kidnapper. "No one else in this family can drink as much coffee as you can."

"I probably developed a tolerance for it or something," Jessica laughed, "I guess I've been drinking it for a long time. Probably before the accident or something." As soon as she said the words, Jessica noticed a look between her parents. "What?" she asked, getting a worried feeling in her stomach. Was something wrong?

"Nothing." Her mother, giving her a reassuring smile. "Do you want me to make you some eggs?" Before Jessica could even respond, her mother had already darted to the fridge and pulled out two eggs. Jessica watched as her mother made the eggs, quickly and skillfully. Jessica smiled as her mother put the plate down in front of her. Her mother was the nicest lady that ever lived. Jessica was sure that her mother would never have done anything to hurt her in any way. After all, her mother care so much about Jessica. She loved her.

But Jessica still had to ask, "Do you know who Winnie Foster is?"

Her mother looked up from the sink, trying to recall the name, "Sorry, hun. I don't. Is she a friend of yours?"

"No," Jessica said, trying to come up with something that would sound far easier to understand than the truth, "I just know some people in town were talking about her. I was wondering if you had heard anything or knew her at all." Jessica tried to interpret her parent's expressions, but there was nothing. They did not know who Winnie Foster was, as far as Jessica could tell. She let out a huge sign of relief. After all, now she had nothing to worry about. Her parents had no idea who Winnie was. They could not have been lying to her.

"Well," Jessica said as she was finishing her eggs, "I have to get ready. I'm going to meet Rick." Jessica, trying to ignore the looks from her parents, began to clear her plate into the sink.

"Rick?" Her mother asked curiously, "You're talking to him again?" Her parents knew all about Rick, well not everything. Jessica had left out the part of what they had done when she had told her parents about him. After all, no parent wanted to know that much about their child's private life. But Jessica explained to them about seeing him at DiCicco's and talking to him again. They gave her a disapproving look, but let her go.

--

Jesse Tuck had pulled up in front of a suburban looking street, looking around. This was the street he had seen Winnie walking on, the first time that had actually talked to her since he had left her all of those years ago. Jesse frowned, trying to figure out which one was hers. Staring at all of the houses, he tried his best to remember what house she had come out of. Choosing the house in the middle, he walked right up to it. He wasn't sure if he had the right house, but he summed up all of his courage and rang the doorbell.

An aging woman opened the door, with a smile on her face. "Hello? How may I help you?" Her kind smile was warm and nice. Jesse had assumed she was about sixty, having slight wrinkles on her face. At first, Jesse did not know what he was supposed to say. He had blanked out at that moment; but he was sure that he had the wrong house. But he had to try.

"Sorry to bother you," Jesse said, trying to seem as innocent and polite as possible, "But I was wondering if a girl named Jessica might live here?" As soon as he said the name, the woman nodded. Explaining that Jessica was out, the woman invited him in. Jesse obliged, wanting to get a look at the environment that Winnie had been living in for the past year.

"How do you know my daughter?" Her father asked, curiously. Like his wife, Mr. Burton was aging. He too, had to be almost sixty. But that did not stop him from acting like protective father who was meeting a boy that was friends with his daughter for the first time.

"I've seen her around the town," Jesse said, trying to make up a story on the spot. One would think that, after over a hundred years, he would develop a skill of making up stories. "I just wanted to thank her for returning my phone. I lost it and she brought it back to me." It wasn't a complete lie; Winnie had returned his phone to him. He had simply left out all of the major details.

He studied Mr. and Mrs. Burton, who both looked at each other uncomfortably. He could not tell if they knew anything about Winnie, but he thought it best not to ask. After all, it was better to pretend that nothing was wrong than to risk exposure. "Would you like to wait for her?" Mrs. Burton finally said, breaking the awkward silence.

"No thank you," He said, "I'd better get going." He paused for a moment, and then added, "But may I use the rest room before I go?"

They both nodded and pointed him to the stairs, telling him the direction. Jesse nodded and headed up the stairs. On his way, he passed a room with the door slightly ajar. Opening the door, he found a room with light blue walls and numerous band posters on the wall. Figuring that it was Winnie's room, he entered. He wanted nothing more than to find out more about her and the life that she was living. He found a stack of CDs, and began to look through them. Artic Monkeys, Escape the Fate, Death Cab for Cutie, and Forever the Sickest Kids were scattered among her collection. Jesse frowned, finding it somewhat hard to believe that her life had continued on without him.

Lying next to the CDs was a picture in a frame, of two girls. He recognized one of girls immediately. It was Winnie; she looked the same as she always did. Next to her was a girl that Jesse did not recognize. But in both of their hands was a bottle of beer, and they had a glazed look on their faces. Jesse frowned; he has assumed that Winnie drank when he saw her at the party. But he did not like to think that Winnie, his Winnie drank on a regular basis.

Quickly, he left the room and walked back down the stairs. The Burtons would be curious as to where he was. After all, he was a stranger in their house, and he could sense that they did not trust Jesse.

"Thank you for your hospitality," He said to them as he walked out of the front door. They waved to him as he left, walking down to his motorcycle. Getting on, he rode to the center of town, where he was sure that Winnie would be. After all, Treegap seemed such a shithole of a town that there is nothing to do but hang out in the center.

The roar of the motorcycle seemed to drown out everything. But no matter what, he could hear people talking about him. In small towns where everyone knew who everyone was, it was almost impossible to go by unnoticed. Everyone knew that a stranger was in town, and everyone knew that stranger was riding a motorbike.

And that was when he saw them. Winnie was with some guy whose arm seemed to be permanently stuck to Winnie's backside. Jesse felt betrayed as he watched the two of them together. They were acting like a couple, their eyes continually locked and standing within close proximity to one another. He kept playing with her hair, pushing it back from in front of her eyes. He tried to see what was so great about this guy; why Winnie seemed to into him. His dark hair and eyes seemed to make him look more mysterious, but other than that Jesse couldn't see what was so special. After all, he was a mere mortal. But Jesse, on the other hand, would be able to give Winnie the world. He could give her eternal happiness. How could anyone possibly say no to something like that?

Jesse felt somewhat like a stalker, watching the two intently. It was only after a few moments of contemplating what he would say that he finally decided to confront to two of them. Walking up to them, Jesse began to feel intimated. This guy was taller than Jesse was and he looked as if he did wrestling or crew or something like that in school. But nothing bad would happen to Jesse, and he had nothing to fear.

"What are you doing here?" Winnie asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Despite the immediate defense that she put up, Jesse could tell that she was frightened. And for the most part, Jesse did not blame her. He had pretty much kidnapped her. Out of the corner of his eye, Jesse saw this guy's arms wrap tighter around Winnie's waist.

"Jess, who is this?" He asked, eyeing Jesse.

"This is the one that I told you about."

At those words, Jesse's alarm went up. She had told someone about his family. She had told this complete stranger about meeting the Tucks. And what's worse was that this guy's eyebrows rose with interest.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, Jessica?" Jesse asked, careful to use the name that she preferred.

"No," She replied bluntly. The guy she was with laughed slightly, but stopped immediately as Jesse shot him a look.

Jesse looked at her up and down, she seemed different. Different from the girl he had met a few days ago, and even more different than the Winnie from years before. He assumed it was because of the Neanderthal that was standing between them, but Jesse did not say anything except, "It will only take a moment."

"She said no," Her friend said, giving Jesse a stern look.

"Who are you?" Jesse asked, getting defensive. From the first moment that Jesse saw this guy, he had a immediate dislike for him.

"I'm Rick," He said, pulling Winnie closer to his body. "Jess's boyfriend."

Jesse immediately looked to Winnie, who seemed just as shocked to hear those words. Her face turned red as she smiled and looked down at her feet. Her reaction was completely adorable; if only it had been because of Jesse. "Well, I won't keep long then. Honestly, it will only take a minute."

Rick put his hands up, "Fine." Winnie looked at him, giving him a look that said _I can't believe you're letting me go with this guy._ But she said nothing until they were out of his hearing range before Jesse said anything.

"You're dating that guy?"

Winnie shrugged, "What does it matter to you anyway? I only met you like, two days ago. Why do you care what I do?" There was a look of defiance in her eye, and Jesse could tell that she took pleasure in the fact that he was getting so upset over that fact.

And that observation made Jesse the maddest. How could she even think of that? He was risking so much by coming back for her and she couldn't even be nice to him. All because his family wanted to make sure that she would not tell anyone about them. Sure, they had used very questionable methods, but still. This was not the Winnie that he had fallen in love with. He was even beginning to have doubts that he even wanted to be with her anymore? Was she worth all of this trouble? She was just a girl; Jesse could find any girl that he wanted.

Trying not to let his anger show, he simply said, "I just do not think he's right for you."

"Oh, really?" She said, crossing her arms, "And you know what's best for me? Sorry, Jesse, but you don't even know me."

That's when Jesse snapped. Grabbing her wrists, he snapped, "I know you better than you know yourself, Winnie Foster."

As Rick ran up to him and Winnie, Jesse released his tight grip on her. He stormed away from the two of them, anger still boiling inside of him.

--

**Author's Note: **Well, I'm not really proud of it. But I did my best to update this week, and my midterms finished yesterday. So, I will have a lot of free times on my hands again. I'm very excited about that. Please, review and tell me what you think.

PS. Rip Heath Ledger (


	10. Walk On Water Or Drown

An Everlasting Love

**An Everlasting Love**

Flirtation101

**Author's Note:** I rewrote this one because half of the stuff I wrote did not save in the document, and I desperately need to re-write the ending that I **actually wanted.** Sadly this means that there is no new update tonight, as I originally planned because people would not understand it. I really hope you like this, and I hope that it will be as good as I intended it to be.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

--

**Chapter Ten**: Walk On Water or Drown.

_Oh, but everybody knows this is the part  
Of breaking down in anybody's arms  
I'm reaching down and hoping this one's ours  
God, please let this stay_

And then I fell into pieces and she fell into me  
Saying, "Play me a song. It's been too long since I've heard you sing."

- Mayday Parade

--

Jessica did not know why, but she ran after Jesse. Rick looked at her as if she was going crazy when she said, "I'll be right back." But Winnie was desperate. Desperate to find out what Jesse had meant. Desperate to know what he knew. Desperate to find out what the hell was going on with her life.

"Wait!" Jessica called out as soon as she was in ear shot of Jesse. He turned around to find her and had a completely shocked look on his face. His anger seemed to disappear at once, and he smiled at her. Out of breath, she ran up to him and said, "What did you mean? When you said that you knew me better than I knew myself?"

He didn't answer her right away. "I'm sorry." He said instead, "I was such a jerk back there. I never meant to say those things." Jessica had to suppress a laugh; he was like a lost puppy. But Jesse must have seen her expression because he too started to laugh.

"But what did you mean?"

"I can't explain it here," Jesse said, looking around at the people who were still walking around the town square. "People might hear. Can you come back to my place for a while? We'll have to explain it to you there."

Jessica bit her lip as she looked back at Rick. He was staring at the two of them, his eyes fixed upon Jesse. Jessica could tell that there was distrust going on, but curiosity got the best of her. "Sure, but meet me here in a half-hour or so."

Jessica turned her back in Jesse without saying anything else and walked back to Rick. "What the hell was that about?" Rick asked as Jessica came up to him. Jessica shrugged, "I just felt bad. I wanted to make peace with him."

Rick scoffed, "I don't know why you even bothered to apologize. It's not like he actually matters or anything." Nothing more was said on the subject. Instead, Rick put his arm around Jessica and he began to walk her back to her house. Jessica gave one last glance at Jesse before letting Rick lead her in the opposite direction.

--

Jessica made sure that Rick was a good deal away from the house before she set out to meet Jesse. She didn't know what Rick would do if her saw her going to sneak out with someone who was considered to be a complete stranger. Walking down the sidewalk ten minutes after Rick had kissed her goodbye, she began to feel guilty. It seeped into her skin and was running through her bloodstream like a drug. Rick had been good to her; she should have at least told him where she would be going. He may not have liked it, but he would at least know the truth. But Jessica didn't tell him, and now she had to live with that fact and with the guilt.

When Jessica reached the center of town, Jesse was nowhere in sight. She sat down on a lonely bench on the sidewalk and closed her eyes. Doubt filled her mind like a raging river, filling every corner of her brain. This was a mistake. Jesse was probably with his family, laughing about how they had messed up some random girl's life. She couldn't believe that she had ever even wanted to come here. It wasn't like her to be this irrational, or to let her curiosity cloud her judgment like it had done earlier in the day. Minutes had, and Jesse was still nowhere in sight. Jessica sighed; she should have known something like this would happen to her. She got played by guy she hardly even knew.

"I didn't leave," Jessica heard a voice say, "If that's what you're thinking." Jessica's eyes shot open to see the speaker, whom she instinctively knew was Jesse. She looked up at him from the bench, and the setting sun hit him, casting millions of rays to come out from his sides and head. He was glowing like an angel.

Jessica couldn't help but notice him in the moment. The way his eyebrows were furrowed with worry and concern, but seemed as if years had weathered his young face out. The way his lips were slightly parted, and formed neither frown nor smile. This was the Jesse she had met on their first night, the way that, despite all good judgment, she felt something. What that something was, Jessica did not know, nor could not begin to comprehend. And he must have known that Jessica was staring at him, because he titled his head to one side and asked, "Is everything okay?"

Dumbfounded, Jessica nodded. She stood up, hoping that she would feel more comfortable in his presence. But he still towered over her, having a good foot or so on her. He gave her a small smile, as she tried to speak, "Wh- What are we going to do?"

Jessica was curious. After all, what he had said to her earlier had sparked her interest greatly. Questions flooded through Jessica's head like a raging river, constantly coming up with more and more for him. She could hardly contain her excitement, and her worry. Her life might not have been the same after this, and Jessica was not sure if she was ready to deal with something as life altering as that. But as Jesse took her shoulder, warmth flooded through her body and she felt herself calm a little bit.

"I can't explain it here," He said in a low voice, so no one around would be able to hear him speak. Jessica nodded, understanding his reasons. He sounded if he had a deep dark secret instead of being an old childhood friend that Jessica knew ages ago.

Jesse put his arm around Jessica's waist, motioning to his motorcycle. Jessica stared at the familiar bike, and suddenly it seemed much scarier than it had before. Her heat was pounding, and her face must have turned whiter than paper, because Jesse began laughing. "What's the matter?" He asked between chuckles.

Jessica didn't say anything; she didn't know if she could. She simply looked from the bike, to Jesse and than back to the bike. Jesse, still laughing, a helmet from under his arm. "Here," Jesse threw it at her, and Jessica's fingers fumbled to catch it.

"What about you?" She asked, looking at Jesse. "Don't you need a helmet too?"

Jesse shook his head, letting his dark hair shake around him.

"But what if something happens to you?" Jessica didn't even want to think that simple thought. She was too terrified to picture Jesse hurt, although she couldn't really know why? Wasn't this the very boy who scared her half to death, and accused her parent's of being liars? So why, after all that, did she care about his well being? Jessica tried to shake the thoughts from her mind.

If Jesse thought that her expression before was funny, then her question was priceless. He began laughing even harder, but his face grew serious as Jessica frowned. "It's not funny."

He gave her a smile, "Trust me, nothing is going to happen to me." He said it with such confidence, and Jessica wanted nothing more than to believe him.

"You don't know that," She said, looking at him in the eyes, "You could be riding that thing, and the next thing you know, you could be dead!" She had not intended for her words to come out as sharply at they did. But they must have, because Jesse's eyes grew serious, and then suddenly sad.

"It won't happen," Jesse whispered. Jessica looked away, letting the subject drop. It was obvious that she struck a nerve, and she did not want him to be upset with her. Jesse seemed to let it drop as well, and motioned for her to take a seat behind him on the bike. Jessica did so, throwing her left leg over, trying to steady herself on the bike.

Jesse roared the engine, which caused Jessica to let out a small scream. She was not sure if it was the engine again, or some other part of the bike, but Jessica swore that she heard a faint laugh coming from Jesse. The bike began moving, which caused Jessica to jump in her seat. She held tightly to Jesse , and as she did she smelt the faint smell of his cologne.

She had smelt that somewhere before.

--

Jessica and Jesse arrived at an old hotel completely unscathed by the motorcycle, much to Jessica's relief. "I am never doing that again," Jessica said, looking at the motorbike. Jesse laughed, putting his arm around her. Only hours ago, Jessica would have probably flinched at his touch. But now, she could not get rid of the comfortable feeling that she had when she was thing him – not that she would ever want to in the first place.

They had gone up to the room, having to climb the stairs to reach the floor. Jessica heaved and heaved the entire way their. They were not even halfway up the building when Jessica paused, in need of taking a breath.

"Sorry," Jesse said, and Jessica could tell that he was trying not to laugh, "We probably should have taken the elevator. I've just missed all the walking. It's always usually up and down elevators these days."

"Not with me… You'd take of your shoes and walk up every single, solitary step." Jessica said in a barely audible whisper. Jessica hadn't known where that had come from, as if it came from a distant memory.

"Huh?" Jesse asked; he did not hear her.

"One thousand, six hundred-and-fifty-two steps to the top." Jessica said, this time a little louder. Jesse turned to her, wide eyed. There was a look of excitement in his eyes, which was beginning to frighten Jessica. Jessica closed her mouth tightly; afraid that more nonsense words or phrases would come out. "I don't know what it means," Jessica said, defensively, "It just seemed to come out!" She did not want Jesse to think that she was a crazy person.

But Jessica determined that her sanity was what was going through Jesse's mind. His face fell a little, as if he was getting his hopes up. Jessica looked down at her shoes, walking up the stairway more. Jesse stayed a few feet behind her, and Jessica could feel that his eyes never left her.

They reached their floor. "It's this way," Jesse said, in reference to their room. The room looked like any other hotel room. It had yellow walls, matching the floral curtains and bed sheets. It looked like anything other hotel room in the world, completely nondescript.

"So!" Jessica said, with a sudden eagerness in her voice, "Can we talk now?"

Jesse smiled, "What do you want to know?"

"Did you know me?" She asked, trying to choose her words carefully, "Before the accident, I mean." Jesse's smiled straightened out, and now his face was expressionless. He nodded once, giving the indication that he did.

Jessica practically jumped for joy. Finally, there was someone there that would answer all of her questions. The questions that were in her mind before vanished, making way for a thousand other questions then. "How did we know each other? Where did I live? Did I have any dog, cats, friends?"

Jesse's voice was quiet, "Why don't you sit down for a moment." It wasn't a question. Jessica took a seat next to Jesse on the bed, looking up in his eyes. She waited for him to continue with his answers. "I can't answer that right now," But before Jessica could open her mouth to protest, Jesse continued, "I will. I just need my family here with me when I do.

Jessica frowned; she did not understand why he needed his parent's permission to tell Jessica about her own past. But she didn't argue, she didn't want Jesse to all of a sudden decide that he did not want to tell her. Jessica could handle waiting, but not knowing Jessica could not stand to do. Jessica nodded, barely able to stifle a yawn.

Jesse's eyes searched hers, "You should law down a while."

Jessica could not argue. Jesse pulled her towards the headboard, and propped her up against the pillow. Her eyes were closed as he did so, and she was barely conscious. But she was able to feel Jesse get off the bed.

"No," Jessica said, half asleep. She felt Jesse pause – his knee was still on the bed. "Stay," She said, grabbing the fabric of his shirt.

Jesse did not argue with her. Instead, he positioned himself so Jessica was leaning on him, and using him a pillow. Jesse smiled to himself; memories came flooding back to him as he did. It was great, as it should have been. And when he was sure that Jessica was asleep, he kissed the top of her head.

He might have been imagining it, but he swore he felt her curl up against his body even more as he did so.

--

**Author's Note:** It's not a good as the original, but I hope you like it! Thanks, and please review!


	11. Cavanaugh Park

**An Everlasting Love**

Flirtation101

**Author's Note:** PLEASE GO BACK AND READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER. My computer sucks and did not save the original document so I had to go back and rewrite the entire thing. It was reposted the night that I first uploaded it, but I just wanted to make it clear to everyone so that there was no confusion between this chapter and the next one.

By the way, I **did** read the book. However, this is based on the movie because it's simply easier to write it like that. Just to clear that up.

Sorry that it took so long for me to post! I love you all, and I hope that I can write more soon.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

--

**Chapter Eleven**:

Cavanaugh Park

_At Cavanaugh Park  
Where I used to think  
That this life would be good  
And I would do things  
That I thought that I should  
And no one's going to tear me down  
And there was never any place  
For someone like me to be  
Totally happy  
I'm running out of clock and that  
Ain't a shock  
Some things never do change_

-- Something Corporate

--

Jessica's eyes fluttered open, waking up from the most pleasant dream. She was sitting in the wood, her hand playing with water by a tiny spring. It was summer, and the hot air was enough to make any sane person want to go inside. But not her, she was fine on her own. She smiled, not having a care in the world. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see that Jesse was standing there, looking down at her. He smiled, and as he pulled her up to stand, he put his lips to hers. And that's when Jessica woke up.

She turned slightly, feeling body warmth on her right side. Jesse was there, still asleep. Jessica smiled, snuggling deeper into his embrace. The small motion woke him, and his eyes opened up sharply, as if he had forgotten what he was doing and who we was with. Calming down as he looked to see Jessica, smiling up at him. "Hey," She whispered her smiling growing even wider.

Jesse smiled back at her, pulling him closer to her. They hadn't been asleep for more than a half an hour, yet Jessica felt as if she had the best sleep that she could remember. It was the perfect moment, and a great way to end the day. _I wish this moment could last forever. _Jessica felt that sudden wash of déjà vu flood over her, as she realized she had thought those exact same words before. She wasn't sure when, where, or why, but she had said those words. Jessica closed her eyes, trying to picture that moment, that time. It was faded, like a dream, but it was there nonetheless. She was sitting with a boy, looking at the fire. She had spoken those same words, and meant it.

The door opened, disrupting Jessica's train of thought. Through the door, a woman appeared, and Jessica recognized her as Jesse's mother. Followed by his mother was his father. Jessica then recognized his brother, trailing behind them. The three of them entered the room and gave Jessica and Jesse a blank stare. All of a sudden, Jessica was aware of her position on the bed. She shifted to a more appropriate looking position, sitting up. Jesse's older brother, Miles, smiled, "Don't let us interrupt you two." Jesse gave a small laugh, but Jessica's cheeks turned a deep shade of red. His mother, who Jessica would have expected to give a stern look of disapproval, simply sighed and gave her eldest son a friendly slap on the arm.

"Now, Miles, don't you go giving these two any trouble." She took a deep breath before adding, "Lord knows it's been a hard couple of days."

Jessica looked downward, unable to shake the gnawing feeling that the hardships of the past few days had something to do with her. Jesse, somehow sensing what Jessica was feeling, put a comforting arm around her. She looked up to him, and he offered a reassuring smile to her.

"Now can you tell me?" Jessica asked, looking from Jesse to the rest of his family. After all, that was the reason that she was going in the first place. She was so close to getting the answers that she wanted. It was as if she could reach out and touch them. Jesse looked from Jessica to his parents, biting the bottom of his lip. "Please?" Jessica asked, failing miserably to hide the desperation in her voice.

"Tell her what?" Miles asked, giving his brother a stern look.

"Jesse says he knew me." Jessica explained, trying to word the sentences so she did not sound like a complete moron, "Before, well… Before the accident." Everyone in the room seemed to look to each other at that moment, unsure of what to say or to do. Tuck was looking at his son, Mae was looking at Jessica. And Miles… Miles was standing off to the side, laughing slightly.

"It's like it was all over again," He said, laughing, "Don't you think she'd be better off not knowing anything about us?" He met the stern view of his parents and younger brother. Jessica's eyes darted from one member of the Tuck family to the other. Jesse looked angry, as if Miles words had greatly offended him. Mae looked shocked, as if she could not imagine her darling son saying something like that. Tuck's face, however, showed no signs of emotion or feeling.

"You're right," Tuck said, after a moment. Both Jesse and Mae looked at him, with surprise on their faces. "But we cannot change what has already happened. She drank from the spring; this is her secret now as well as ours. She has to know, otherwise something might go wrong."

Curiosity was bubbling inside Jessica. For all she knew, there had been some massive plot, with money involved. Did she have some sort of super power now? Could she fly? Jessica couldn't wait for the answers. Finally, she would have what she had been searching for.

"Well, I guess it's best to start at the beginning…"

--

Rick Spears knew that there was something shady about this Jesse guy as soon as he had set foot in Treegap. But he needed to know the story, the whole story. All Rick knew was that there was something to do with Jessica. Otherwise she would have never given that pathetic moron the time of day. Rick only needed to know what it was.

His grandmother had told him everything, happily recalling the story that Rick thought was just a fable when he was growing up. A family, that could live forever. An old woman in a mental hospital. His own fathers great uncle (or, Rick guessed, something along those lines). All tied into this plot that Rick now found himself a part of.

A spring that could make someone live forever, was here in Treegap. Such beauty and such a gift, and Jessica probably knew about it all along. Indignantly, Rick wondered as to why his own girlfriend didn't tell him about this. That she was old, probably around the same age as his grandmother.

Well, that took out all of the desire to make out with her anymore.

Rick sat back at his desk.

He was determined to know more. To get to bottom of this mystery, and to solve it once and for all.

--

Jessica walked into her house, silently. Jesse had taken her home, after saying she needed time to think about this. _Living forever. _The words seemed huge. And scary. Jessica wasn't sure how this was going to happen. She had a whole life before the one she remembered. And that part of that life – no matter how short that part was – had been with Jesse.

That was why he had felt so right when she was with him earlier.

"Honey?" Her mother asked, as Jessica shut the door, "Is that you?"

"Yes," Jessica replied coldly, walking straight into her room. She didn't even want to look at her parents at the moment. They weren't even her parents, and had lied to her from the very beginning. The mere thought of that made Jessica sick, and she locked the door to her room. She didn't want to speak to them, not now or ever.

Her mind drifted to Jesse, and then to her boyfriend. What would she do with Rick now? Would she tell him what was going on in her life? Every good girlfriend was supposed to do that, but Jessica wasn't allowed to. The Tucks had made it perfectly clear that Jessica was not supposed to tell anyone. Was Jessica going to dump Rick for Jesse?

Her name wasn't Jessica. That thought had just dawned on her. It was the simplest of things, yet she hadn't thought about it yet. Winifred Foster. That was who she really was, who she really was meant to be. She shuddered, unsure if she wanted to take that name. She had gotten used to the name Jessica, after her parents had told her that was her name. She could get used to the name Winnie as well.

Her parents, or the Burtons, as Jessica now thought of them, did not come knocking on the door. They did not ask her if she would like dinner, and Jessica knew that she might have hurt them with her coldness. But Jessica didn't care too much about that fact.

Her mind was preoccupied with other things. She had a whole past that she did not remember. She had not only sixteen years of her life missing, as she originally thought, but a whole century. Her mind was whirling around the possibilities. What had her real parents been like? They were certainly rich; they had been Foster's. What did she do after she drank from the spring? Did she go see all of the wonders of the world?

She tried desperately to remember. There had to be things that would trigger a memory – if only Jessica knew what. Jesse could help; he knew things about her. She had asked him so many questions though, and Jessica didn't know if he knew anything else about her past.

Jessica was tired. Despite having fallen asleep with Jesse, the day's events had left Jessica worn out. Her mind was exhausted, and needed rest. Within minutes, sleep took over…

--

_Winnie Foster had never been alone in the world. She had felt alone, as if she had no one to talk to. But for the first time in her life, she was truly without anyone. She left her home, in hopes to find the Tuck's. With no idea of where they would be or what they planned on doing, Winnie was left without a house to stay in. She had never gone camping, and had never been alone in the woods overnight. Winnie didn't know how she was going to handle this._

_Owls hooted in the night sky, and Winnie jumped at each sound. She had been coming to the spring from dawn to dusk, yet the night sounds in the wood had scared her. Winnie did not know why she came back here day after day. She knew that the Tucks would not come back here for her. Not so soon, anyway._

_She wanted to get out of the wood. A small, childish part of her was still terrified of the dark, and the wood at night was no place for a lady. She reached the edge of the wood, and began to walk on the dirt pathway. No one would see her; it was too dark for anyone to two feet in front of them._

_Winnie wondered what they would say. Her parents would refuse to believe that their precious daughter would simply run away. They'd tell everyone she'd been kidnapped again. Yes, that was it. That's what they would say. They'd send dogs to search for her; they'd notify every police officer in the state. But no one would be able to find her. _

_Winnie smiled, looking up at the moon above her. The sky was the limit for her now. She could do anything that she wanted, be anyone that she wanted, be with anyone that she wanted. Her future was starting now. _

_She was finally free. _


	12. Stars

**An Everlasting Love**

Flirtation101

**Author's Note:** Boredom made me come back to this story, as well as finding my old copy of Tuck Everlasting in my room. Even I don't know how this story is going to play out, so I am kind of anxious myself to see how it is going to end. By the way, I am so sorry that I haven't updated in forever and day. I've been sucked into the embarrassing realm of Jonas Brothers Fanfiction (even though I am not particularly a fan of them). So, please don't yell at me for not updating in forever.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

--

Chapter Twelve:

**Stars**

_Stars looking at a planet, watching entropy and pain  
and maybe start to wonder how  
the chaos in our lives could pass as sane.  
I've been thinking of the meaning of resistance,  
of a world beyond my own.  
And suddenly the infinite and penitent  
began to look like home._

--Switchfoot

--

Jessica Burton woke up with a start. She had had the strangest dream the previous night, but everything in it had all seemed so real. The colors were bright and vivid, and Jessica had no trouble remembering it. Jesse had been there, with his family. All of them telling this impossible story about how they could live forever, and she could do. She remembered believing them, and returning to her house without speaking to her parents because of it. But it was just a dream. It had to be.

Because things like that just did not happen.

Jessica sighed, thinking about Jesse. There was something about the story that he told her that made sense although, to any sane person, it shouldn't have. It could have been the fact that Jessica felt like she had known him from somewhere before. Or it could have been that she _wanted_ to know him from somewhere. But it was just a dream.

Jessica rolled out of bed, looking at the time. It was already noon. She sighed and pulled herself out of bed. She put on her green fuzzy slippers, and opened the door of her room. She smelt the delicious aroma of coffee, and began to walk quietly to the kitchen. Jessica heard her parents speaking in hushed tones. Jessica paused just outside to listen in on what they were talking about.

"We have this argument almost every day," Her mother insisted, "And we never end up doing anything about it. It's no use in arguing with me, Peter. You'll never have the balls to tell her the truth."

"It doesn't make what we are doing right."

"You wanted a child, and now we have a child," Her mother said, "What is so wrong about that?"

"There might be a family out there that is looking for her right now!" Her father was getting angry, "I love her just as much as you do, and I don't know what I would do if we lost her. Which is why I can't bear to think of what we are doing to some other couple."

"It was the chance of a lifetime, Peter." Her mother hissed, "You don't understand how lucky we were that we had been walking right by as that car hit her. And that she doesn't remember a thing from before the accident. We couldn't have asked for a better situation than that."

"Someone might be looking for her," Her father said, "We could get put in jail for kidnapping. I don't want to go to jail, do you?"

"No, which is why we moved to this town and away from the place that we found her. No one in America knows where this place is. If anyone were to come looking for Jessica, than this place would be the last place on Earth that they would look."

"What if she ever finds out?"

"That we made the entire thing up? I don't know. It's not like she knows where she belongs in the first place. She could have been a runaway, which would make things a lot simpler. We don't know. But we aren't going to tell her anything, right? And when she starts asking questions, we'll just lie. It's worked for the past year."

Jessica had heard enough. Turning around on her heels, she didn't even bother going back to her room. She trudged down the stairs and out the door, making sure that the house shook as she slammed it behind her. Tears were already in her eyes, as she realized that everything that her "parents" had ever said to her had been a lie. Jesse had been right.

She hadn't wanted to believe it, but it was true.

She was full blown crying by the time she made it a safe enough distance away from her house. She had no where to go, and no money. She was in her pajamas, and there was no way that she was going to go back to her house. Those people there meant nothing to her anymore. Jessica sighed, and she continued walking down the street. It was only until she heard the rumble of a motorcycle that she looked up hopefully. Coming towards her was someone that she could only hope was Jesse.

The person stopped right in front of Jessica, taking off his helmet when he came to a full stop. Jessica breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw Jesse's eyes looking at her. His expression was full of concern – he had obviously seen her crying. He frowned, getting off of the motorcycle and without saying a word, put his arm around her.

"I'm sorry," Jessica apologized, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Don't be," He said, enveloping her into a hug. "I am the one who should be sorry. Telling you everything last night wasn't the right thing to do. We should have eased you into it. I know it's overwhelming right now, but you'll get used to the idea of living forever."

So, it had not been a dream. What he said had been real, and after what she heard from her parents, she could believe anything. Jessica shook her head, crying even more when she thought about her parents. They must have thought that she was an idiot for believing them.

Jesse didn't say anything, but handed her the helmet. "I know just the place for us to go."

--

At the top of the mountain overlooking the wood, Jessica found herself opening up to Jesse about everything. She told him how she was doing in school, who her friends were and what they did on weekends. But she didn't know if she should mention her parents or not. He had called that they were that from the beginning. She didn't want him to say "I told you so". Jessica didn't know if she could handle that or not.

But she thought that it was best to tell him. After all, she had no where to go, and she couldn't expect him to just let her stay with his family without wondering about her parents. Although, she was sure he would let her stay with them regardless. Jessica took a deep breath, and looked at Jesse. "You were right,"

"Right about what?" He asked, looking hopeful. Jessica could tell that he thought she had finally remembered him, or something along those lines.

"My parents," When Jesse looked confused, Jessica she began to explain, "I overheard them talking this morning. About me, and the accident. It turns out that they aren't my parents, like I thought they were. They wanted a child, and it was just so convenient that they found me, without a memory. "

Tears were streaming down her cheeks now, "I just feel so stupid. They have been lying to me for a whole year, and I just believed them. I don't know how they even got away with that kind of stuff. They were probably laughing behind closed doors about me. I can't believe I was so gullible."

"I'm sorry," Jesse said, putting his arm around her, "I really didn't want to hurt you when I said that. It was just me thinking out loud. I'm sorry for what they did to you. I know that it hurts."

Jessica sat upright, wiping the tears away from her eyes. "Do you know what this means?"

"What?"

"Winnie Foster might still be alive," When she saw that Jesse had a confused expression plastered on to his face, she decided to elaborate. "I always insisted that I wasn't Winnie because of my family. But I don't have anyone, so I might just be her. And there is only one way to find out."

--

Jesse watched in wonder as Winnie stood up from her stop on the rock and go to the nearest tree. Immediately, she struggled in trying to climb up it. "What the hell are you doing?" Jesse asked her, staring incredulously as she managed to get up with pajamas and fuzzy slippers on.

"Testing this thing out," She called back, as she got closer and closer to the top of the tree. Jesse rushed under the tree, looking up at her as she did so. She was grunting each time she got higher and higher. Jesse could have climbed that tree easily, but didn't say anything. Instead, he stared in wonder as he tried to figure out what exactly she meant by saying "testing this thing out."

His eyes filled with horror as he realized what she was about to do. "You don't have to do this. There are other ways that we can try to figure it out." How could she be so dumb? Despite every assurance in his mind that this girl was Winnie Foster, there was still the slight chance that she wasn't. And if she was doing what he thought she was doing, then she had a slight chance of dying. And Jesse didn't know if he was ready to take that chance.

"No, Jesse." Winnie laughed, "I don't care if I live or die anymore. If I'm not Winnie, that means you leave. Which means I don't have anyone anymore. If I am, than this will have no effect on me whatsoever."

The wind ruffled the tree branches, causing Winnie to shake a little as she tried to balance on the branch. She was standing upright on it now; with all the grace of the world's best gymnast or ballerina. Jesse stared up at her, tears of panic coming to his eyes. Would he be able to catch her if she fell from that height? He wasn't so sure.

"Come down, now." Jesse ordered, with his voice cracking as he did so. "We can find another way. Cut your hand or something simple like that."

"Where's the fun in that?" She called back, walking on the branch. Each time Winnie did that, Jesse's heart skipped a beat. She was putting her life in danger, carelessly and frivolously. If she died, how the hell was Jesse going to explain this to Tuck?

But it was more than his own skin that he was worried about. Even if the girl turned out not to be Winnie Foster, there was something about her that kept Jesse close. He knew that he wasn't going to tear himself away from her when the time came to leave. He wanted to protect her from everything. And that included herself.

Jesse Tuck watched as she began to jounce the limb, faster and faster each time. It was terrifying to watch, and Jesse felt his heartbeat quickening. He saw the limb slide out from under her feet, causing her to fall backward. Jesse scrambled to find where she was going to fall, hoping that he would catch her. As she fell nearer to the ground, Jesse came close to the spot. But he was just a little too late.

And Jesse watched as she fell to the ground with a hard thud.

"Winnie?" Jesse's voice cracked, with tears in his eyes, "Winnie Foster?"

There was no response coming from the body. Her legs were contorted into strange positions, and Jesse couldn't see his face. All he could do was fall on his knees next to the limp body before him.

--

**A/N: **Well, here is the next chapter. Somehow, I don't think it was worth the wait, but whatever. Please tell me if you like it. I swear, if I see that I get reviews it reminds me that I need to update this. So, tell me what you think!


	13. Lullaby

**An Everlasting Love**

**Author's Note: **Hopefully, this will be out before the end of the week. If it's not, then I am sorry. I don't even know if I have any readers left on this website. And let's be honest, Tuck Everlasting isn't one of the most active fandoms out there, huh? Oh well, I love those of you that do read and review, and you guys know that. 3

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. Credit goes to those that do.

--

**Chapter Thirteen**:

Lullaby

_While you were sleeping,  
I figured out everything:  
I was constructed for you,  
and you were molded for me.  
Now I feel your name,  
coursin' through my veins.  
You shine so bright, it's insane.  
You put the sun to shame._

-- The Spill Canvas

--

"Winnie," Jesse was crying now, "Winnie, oh God." He couldn't believe that he had been wrong, that this girl had not been Winnie Foster. And now, an innocent young girl was dead because of it. His mind raced with what he was going to do? Should he call an ambulance? Call Tuck? Yes, calling his father seemed like the best idea. Tuck always knew exactly what to do in these situations.

Jesse was about to reach for the phone that was in his jacket pocket when he had heard it. A low moan was coming from the spot where Winnie had fallen. Jesse's head shot up immediately, his heart beating faster than it ever had before. Winnie was sitting up now, looking around for Jesse. He rushed to her side as fast as he possibly could, "Winnie? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

She looked up at him wide eyed, cringing a little bit. "I'm fine. No bruises or broken bones. I just hadn't expected it to hurt at all." Jesse remembered what it had been like when he had fallen on his neck out of the tree when they first learned about living forever. It had hurt a lot, but he was able to get up and act like nothing had been wrong for his mother. It was just the sheer impact of falling had been the worst part.

"How could you go and do something like that?" Jesse hissed, looking at the girl, "I can't believe that you would do something like that. We could have just given you a cut with a knife, or a prick with a needle to see if you would draw any blood. Nothing life threatening. You didn't have to go and almost get yourself killed." For once, Jesse knew what it had been like to seriously worry for someone's life. Everyone he had ever known or cared about would live forever, no matter what. Except for this girl. He hadn't been as sure with her. And this is the one who he cared the most about. He would gladly give his own life up for her, if he could have.

Winnie had taken one look at Jesse's expression, and laughed. Her smile was so bright, and well, so alive that Jesse forgot the entire reason why he was mad at her in the first place. Instead, he smiled along with her, just glad that she was alive. She didn't have to remember, he was just so happy that she was still there. That he could hear that laugh. And that he could spend forever with her, making a bunch of new memories of the two of them.

She stood up from the spot that she was standing in, and twirled around in circles with the sunlight radiating off of her face. Jesse sat back and watched as she extended her arms, dancing her cares away. He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of nature, happy that he had found his Winnie.

When he had opened them, Winnie was standing right in front of him, that smile was still on her face. "Do you know what this means, Jesse Tuck?"

Jesse smiled at her, "What?"

"That I am Winnie Foster,"

Jesse laughed a little, "But I already knew that,"

"And I can spend forever with you," Her smile grew larger, and she bent down with his face only inches from hers. Jesse's heart beat increased so rapidly, that he was sure Winnie could have felt it. He could feel the warmth of her breathing on his cheek. He closed his eyes, trying to take every part of it in. The sounds, the scent. He was never going to forget this moment. Ever.

And that's when he felt her lips on his.

--

Rick Spears looked incredulously at the scene before him. He could not believe his eyes. Everything that he had seen was perfect evidence that coincided with his grandmother's story. Seeing Jessica Burton just rise up from the dead as if nothing had happened was beyond normal. She could live forever. It was such a strange concept, but Rick was more than willing to grasp it.

He continued to watch as the two lovebirds talked and talked, about nonsense. He was going to find out everything about this family. And tell his grandmother everything. He was going to prove that his family hadn't been crazy when they insisted on a spring that could make someone live forever. He was going to find redemption for them.

He would have to get a hold of Jessica first, and make her spill the beans. Tell everything that she knew about this family, and if it was possible for other people to live forever also. Rick would have to get Jessica on his side. Any other day, and he thought it would have been easy. But now that she was with this freak, he didn't know what he was going to do. It seemed as if this guy would never let Jessica out of his sight not that he knew the truth. There was no way he could pry this guy off of Jessica for now.

His only hope was to turn her against him.

And Rick just needed to figure out how he was going to do that.

--

**Winnie Foster**.

_Winifred Foster_.

Winnie.

It was going to take her some time to get used to – a new name and a whole new life. Winnie Foster was her identity now, despite the fact that she did not know what that entailed. She hoped that Jesse could fill her in on details of the time that they had spent together. Winnie found herself getting more and more curious as to that every time that she thought about it. But she would suppress that curiosity for now. She would have all of the time in the world to talk to Jesse about that.

She would have forever.

It was such a hard concept for her to grasp, living forever. She couldn't believe that she would be there to see each and every change in the world, to witness first hand the progress that humanity would make over the centuries. But that wasn't the best part of it all. She would be able to spend every moment of forever with someone who meant the world to her. Despite having known him for such a short period of time.

Winnie felt such a powerful connection with Jesse from the moment that she had met him – and now it was even stronger than before. The dreams she had been having seemed to explain everything. She could only imagine that they were memories of her life before the accident. Of her life with the Fosters, with the Tucks, and with Jesse. She had been in love with him then, and she was falling in love with him all over again now. Winnie just wished she could remember every little detail of her life, knowing what mistakes she made and what she had done right.

They were sitting against a rock, and Winnie was leaning on Jesse's chest. She could feel his breathing underneath her, so soothing that she could have fallen asleep right then and there. But she was too wide awake now, from the thrill of the fall and finding where she truly belonged. No girl could ask for a greater thing than that.

"We should get going," Jesse said, after a few minutes of silence.

"What?" Winnie asked half out of shock and half out of disbelief that Jesse would want to ruin such a perfect moment.

"Mae and Tuck will want to know. And we'll have to tell them that you'll be staying with us now that you don't have anywhere else to go. Although, I don't really mind that part as much," Jesse's lip curled into an upward curve at the thought of the last part. Winnie nodded understandingly, although she would rather wait a few more hours. It had to be around seven in the evening. Surely the Tucks would be up in three hours or so. She just wanted more time with Jesse.

But she would take what she could get.

Jesse stood up, and extended his arms to pull Winnie up beside him. Silently, the two of them walked from their spot, carefully stepping over rocks on their way back to Jesse's motorcycle. It didn't take them too long to reach the bike, only to have Jesse offer her the helmet.

Winnie laughed, "I don't need it."

"It would make me feel a lot better if you wore it anyway," The look that Jesse gave her was pleading. In his eyes, Winnie could see all sorts of emotions. Worry, hope, love. It was amazing when she thought about it. It see how someone truly loved her like that. She would do anything that he asked for her. She gave him a wry smile, and took the helmet from his hands. As she placed it on her head, she thought she heard Jesse laugh and say, "Thanks,"

And the two of them rode off, completely unaware that a boy in an ostentatious yellow sweatshirt had just witnessed the entire scene.

--

**A/N: **It's short, I know. But I wrote this between tonight and last night. And well, I really do love this story. Which is why I keep coming back to it. I hope that everyone here likes it as well, otherwise, what's the point, right? Anyways, I want to get back into writing the good kind of fanfiction. And well, not the kind that you write about boys in bands. So, tell me what you think!


End file.
